In a world where oyster mushrooms have been turned into practically everything, I present to you: cornmeal crusted popcorn ‘shrooms, AKA cornmeal fried mushrooms, AKA HOT DILLY ‘SHROOMS. Crispy, spicy, easy, and delicious. Just like a vegan and gluten free popcorn shrimp! But to be fair, there is probably an oyster-mushroom-popcorn-shrimp recipe already out there. A quick google would probably solve that mystery for me, but who has TIME for google? I have a blog post to write!!
But seriously, these ‘shrooms are just good. They remind me of fried catfish in the BEST way, but they are completely vegan and naturally gluten free. Cornmeal and rice flour for the win. I’ll list everything out below for these guys, and I hope you’ll love the recipe.
Table of contents
Why cornmeal crusted fried mushrooms?
Cornmeal crust does two things that normal breadcrumbs can’t – it’s simultaneously lighter, but also crispier. Sure, you get a bigger, thicker layer when you dredge in all-purpose flour, but I’ve always found a cornmeal crust to be so insanely crispy, but also thin.
It’s like a tempura batter, but it also evades getting soggy when it sits out for too long. It’s truly a magic breading technique and I don’t know why we don’t use it more often.
I’ve always had nostalgic place in my heart for cornmeal crusted fried food (mostly because of the catfish I housed as a pre-teen). But even now I see that cornmeal frying has its place, and it’s not worth turning your nose up at it. Just try it once and you’ll see what I mean!
Ingredients you will need for these cornmeal fried mushrooms
- 1 lb oyster mushrooms, about 1 large head
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 & 1/2 cups plant-based milk, or any milk of choice
- 1-2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 cup sunflower oil, for pan frying
How to make these vegan + gluten free popcorn “shrimp”
- Pull apart the oyster mushroom into pieces, each about 1″ long. They should naturally separate, but cut off the ends if that helps the process.
- Add the mushrooms to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add in the rice flour and toss to evenly coat all the mushrooms.
- In another large bowl or plate, add the cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper.
- In a smaller bowl, add the plant-based milk and hot sauce and mix.
- Using one hand for wet and one for dry, dip the mushrooms in the plant-based milk mixture, and then toss them in the cornmeal mixture. Make sure they are evenly coated and that the cornmeal gets in all the crevices.
- Set a skillet on medium heat and add the sunflower oil. You want it to come up the sides just a bit, but not too much.
- Let the oil come to temperature, around 300F-340F, and then pan fry the mushrooms in batches, cooking for 2 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
- Transfer the fried mushrooms to a bed of paper towels to drain any excess oil. Then serve!
Looking for other fun vegetarian recipes?
Here are a few of my more creative, fully veg recipes!
And that’s it for these cornmeal fried mushrooms!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Cornmeal Crusted Popcorn ‘Shrooms
Ingredients
- 1 lb oyster mushrooms about 1 large head
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 & 1/2 cups plant-based milk or any milk of choice
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 cup sunflower oil for pan frying
- 1 large handful of dill for topping
For the creamy hot sauce
- 2 tbsp very drizzly cashew butter or tahini if you are nut free!
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper-based hot sauce I like Frank's Red Hot, but any generic hot sauce will do!
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced finely
Instructions
- Pull apart the oyster mushroom into pieces, each about 1" long. They should naturally separate, but cut off the ends if that helps the process.
- Add the mushrooms to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add in the rice flour and toss to evenly coat all the mushrooms.
- In another large bowl or plate, add the cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper.
- In a smaller bowl, add the plant-based milk and hot sauce and mix.
- Using one hand for wet and one for dry, dip the mushrooms in the plant-based milk mixture, and then toss them in the cornmeal mixture. Make sure they are evenly coated and that the cornmeal gets in all the crevices.
- Set a skillet on medium heat and add the sunflower oil. You want it to come up the sides just a bit, but not too much.
- Let the oil come to temperature, around 300F-340F, and then pan fry the mushrooms in batches, cooking for 2 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
- Transfer the fried mushrooms to a bed of paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, hot sauce, garlic and avocado oil. Continue to thin out with hot sauce until it is your desired heat and color.
- Drizzle the mushrooms with the hot sauce, cover with dill and serve!
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