Roasted maitake wedges.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa, hen of the woods) fruits as a dense rosette of overlapping fronds. The thin outer edges crisp to genuine brittleness while the thicker base stays chewy and dense — and the only way to get both in one bite is to keep the wedge intact.

Cut through the base into wedges. Do not break it into small pieces. That single decision is the recipe.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 1 lb maitake, cut into fist-sized wedges
• 3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
• 1 tsp flaky salt
• Black pepper

To finish

• Lemon, cut in half
• Flaky salt
• Optional: soy and mirin, or garlic butter, or a dusting of mushroom powder

Method

1. Heat the oven to 450°F with the sheet pan inside. Hotter than for oysters, because the fronds need to crisp before the base overcooks.
2. Cut into wedges through the tough base, so each wedge holds its fronds together. Trim only the very bottom core.
3. Oil generously, working it between the fronds with your hands, and salt.
4. Place cut-side down on the hot pan with space between the wedges.
5. Roast 15 minutes without touching them. Contact time on one face is what builds the crisp — every stir resets it.
6. Turn once and roast 5 more minutes until the frond tips are dark and brittle.
7. Squeeze lemon over straight from the oven and finish with flaky salt.

Do not crowd, do not stir

Two rules, one reason: crisping needs sustained contact with a hot surface. A crowded pan traps steam, and stirring interrupts the browning before it sets. Use two pans if you have a big batch.

Everything about maitake rewards large pieces and high heat. Small pieces at moderate heat give you soft, grey, indistinguishable mushroom.

Pan variation: press it

In a heavy skillet, put the wedges cut-side down and weight them with a second pan. Eight minutes, and the underside forms a single crisp sheet. This is the version restaurants use, and it is arguably better than the oven — see how chefs handle it on the chefs page.

Serving

Lemon and salt is genuinely enough. Beyond that: over a purée, on labneh with dukkah, next to roast chicken, torn into a broth at the last second, or on a tasting-menu plate as the centre of it.

Common questions