King trumpet “scallops.”

King trumpet (Pleurotus eryngii) has a dense, uniform, pure-white stem that behaves almost nothing like other mushrooms — it holds shape, takes deep colour, and has a natural sweetness with a genuine abalone character. Cut across into coins and scored, it looks and eats remarkably like a seared scallop.

This is a fifteen-minute recipe that belongs on a tasting menu, and it is the dish most likely to make someone reconsider what a mushroom is for.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 3–4 large king trumpet mushrooms (about 1 lb)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

To baste

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• Squeeze of lemon

To serve (optional)

• Cauliflower or celeriac purée
• Brown butter and capers
• Chives, flaky salt

Method

1. Cut the stems into coins about an inch thick — thicker than feels right. You should get three or four coins per mushroom. Save the caps for a stir-fry.
2. Score both faces with a shallow crosshatch, cutting no more than an eighth of an inch deep. This increases surface area and gives the classic scallop look.
3. Salt them now and leave for 5 minutes. Unlike thin-fleshed species, king trumpet is dense enough that early salt pulls surface moisture out and helps the crust.
4. Blot the faces dry, then sear in a hot pan with the oil. Three to four minutes on the first side, undisturbed, until deeply golden.
5. Flip, then add butter, garlic and thyme. As the butter foams, tilt the pan and spoon it over the coins continuously for 2–3 minutes.
6. Check tenderness with a knife tip — it should slide in with slight resistance. Finish with lemon and flaky salt.

Thickness is everything

An inch-thick coin gives you a browned exterior and a tender, slightly springy interior. Half-inch coins cook through before they colour and end up uniformly firm — perfectly nice, but not scallops. If in doubt, cut thicker.

Salt before the pan, which is the opposite of the advice for oyster mushrooms. Density is why: king trumpet has the structure to lose surface water without collapsing.

Yield, for anyone counting

King trumpet has the lowest trim loss of anything we grow — about 2%, essentially just a slice off the base. A pound gives twelve to fourteen coins, or four generous centre-of-plate portions. Chefs can run the numbers in the plate-cost calculator.

Plating it properly

A smooth purée underneath — cauliflower, celeriac or white bean — coins on top, brown butter with capers and lemon spooned over, chives. That is a restaurant plate in fifteen minutes.

Common questions