Crispy lion’s mane sandwich.

The reason most crispy vegetable sandwiches disappoint is that the filling has no structural integrity: it compresses to nothing under the bun. A pressed lion’s mane slab does not. It has fibre, chew and enough density that you can bite through the sandwich rather than squeezing it out the back.

The press comes before the crumb. Always.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 1 large lion’s mane block, cut into 2 thick slabs
• Salt

Crumb

• ½ cup plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 tbsp milk
• 1 cup panko
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cayenne
• Salt, pepper

To build

• 2 brioche buns, toasted in butter
• Slaw (cabbage, mayo, cider vinegar, salt)
• Hot honey
• Dill pickles
• 2 cups oil for shallow frying

Method

1. Press the slabs first. Hot dry pan, weight on top, 3–4 minutes a side until compressed to half their thickness and the surface is dry. Cool them.
2. Season the flour and panko separately — paprika, garlic powder and cayenne into the panko, salt and pepper into the flour.
3. Three-stage crumb: flour, then egg, then panko, pressing the crumbs on firmly. Chill 10 minutes so the coating sets.
4. Heat ½ inch of oil to 350°F in a wide pan.
5. Fry 3 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp. Drain on a rack and salt immediately.
6. Toast the buns in butter until the cut faces are properly browned — a soft bun collapses under a wet slaw.
7. Build: bun, pickles, mushroom, hot honey, slaw, lid. Press gently and eat immediately.

The press is not optional

Crumbing an unpressed slab traps all that water inside a crisp shell, and it steams itself soggy from the inside within two minutes. Press first, cool, then crumb — and you get something that stays crisp all the way through eating it.

Hot honey and pickles together. The mushroom is sweet and the crumb is rich; you need sharp and hot to keep the whole thing moving.

Make it a chicken-fried version

Buttermilk-brine the pressed slabs for fifteen minutes and swap the panko for seasoned flour with a double dredge — the technique is in crispy fried oyster mushrooms. Craggier crust, less neat, better.

Other species

Maitake makes a lacier, more delicate version. King trumpet halved lengthways works and holds its shape best of all. Oyster clusters pressed flat are the cheapest option and give the most crust per pound.

Common questions