Mushroom confit.

Confit is preservation by fat: cook something slowly submerged in oil, then store it in that oil, and it keeps for weeks. For mushrooms it does something else too — the slow, gentle cook gives a silky, dense texture you cannot get from a hot pan.

And you end up with two ingredients. The mushrooms, and a jar of mushroom-and-garlic-infused oil that is arguably the more useful half.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 1½ lb firm mushrooms — king trumpet in coins, maitake in wedges, whole chestnut caps

Fat & aromatics

• 2–2½ cups olive oil, enough to submerge
• 1 whole garlic head, cloves peeled
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 dried chilli (optional)
• 2 tsp flaky salt
• Strips of lemon peel (optional)

Method

1. Cut the mushrooms into large pieces — coins, wedges or whole caps. Small pieces disintegrate over an hour.
2. Salt them and leave 10 minutes, then blot. This seasons them through rather than just on the surface.
3. Pack into a small heavy pot or ovenproof dish with all the aromatics, then pour over enough oil to submerge everything completely.
4. Cook at 250°F for 55–70 minutes, in the oven or on the lowest stovetop setting. You want the barest occasional bubble — if it is sizzling, it is too hot.
5. Test with a knife tip: it should slide through with almost no resistance.
6. Cool completely in the oil, then transfer to a jar with the mushrooms fully submerged. Refrigerate.

Low and slow, genuinely

Confit is not frying. At 250°F the oil barely moves, and that gentleness is what produces the texture. A visible simmer means you are deep-frying at low temperature, which gives you greasy, collapsed mushrooms instead.

Keep the mushrooms submerged in the jar. The oil layer is what preserves them — anything above the surface will spoil first.

The oil is the point

You are left with a jar of oil carrying mushroom, garlic and herb. Use it for vinaigrettes, for frying eggs, brushed on bread before grilling, tossed through pasta, or drizzled over soup. Do not let anyone throw it away.

Keeping and safety

Three weeks refrigerated, submerged. This is a fridge preparation, not a shelf-stable one — garlic in oil at room temperature is a genuine botulism risk, so keep it cold and do not leave the jar out. If you want longer storage, freeze portions in the fat; they keep three months.

Uses for the mushrooms

On toast with the oil. Chopped into pasta. In a grain bowl. On a cheese board. Warmed and served alongside a roast. Or blitzed with a little of the oil into a spread.

Common questions