Pink oyster carnitas.

Carnitas is defined by contrast: crisp, dark, rendered edges against soft interior, then acid and spice. Pink oyster is the only mushroom that gives you all of it, because its fibres separate into strands and it tolerates far more heat than a tender species would.

This wants a longer, more patient cook than the quick taco version — thirty-five minutes, most of it browning.

What you need

Mushrooms

• 1½ lb pink oyster mushrooms, shredded by hand
• 3 tbsp lard or neutral oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Seasoning

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ancho or chipotle powder
• 1 bay leaf
• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

To serve

• Corn tortillas
• White onion and coriander, finely chopped
• Salsa verde, lime wedges

Method

1. Shred by hand, pulling the ruffles apart into strands. Do not use a knife — the point is irregular, fibrous strands.
2. Dry-sear in batches. Hot heavy pan, no fat, half the mushrooms at a time. Three minutes untouched, then toss. Remove and repeat.
3. Now the fat. Return the pan to the heat with the lard or oil, add the onion, and cook 5 minutes until softened and starting to colour.
4. Add garlic and spices, stirring for 1 minute until they smell toasted rather than raw.
5. Return the mushrooms, add the bay leaf and orange juice and zest, and cook 10–12 minutes over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has gone and the edges are dark and rendered.
6. Push it further. Spread everything flat, leave it 3 minutes without stirring to get a genuinely crisp underside, then fold that up through the rest. This step is the recipe.
7. Finish with lime and salt, discard the bay, and serve on charred tortillas with onion and coriander.

Getting the texture right

The failure mode is stopping when it looks done. Mushrooms are cheap in time terms — that last three-minute undisturbed stretch, where things start to catch on the pan, is where the carnitas character comes from. Dark, slightly crunchy edges are correct.

Orange, not lime, in the cooking. Lime goes in at the end. Orange has enough sugar to help the caramelisation and enough acid to keep it lively.

If pink oyster is not available

King trumpet shredded along the grain is the next best thing, and slightly denser. Blue oyster works but stays in pieces rather than strands. Both are on the harvest board, which shows what is cutting this week.

Beyond tacos

Over rice with black beans. In a torta with avocado and pickled onion. In quesadillas. Or as a filling for enchiladas, where the crisped edges hold up under sauce.

Common questions