Lobster Mushroom Mac and Cheese

Fresh or Dried Lobster Mushrooms?

This recipe can be used with dried or fresh lobster mushrooms!
While fresh lobster mushrooms will offer a more powerful shellfish flavor the dried lobster mushrooms are much more accessible, and still offer the flavors you need. When using dried lobster mushrooms simply rehydrate them in cool water before adding them to the butter on the stove.

Fresh lobster mushrooms are not the easiest mushrooms to find.
They are a wild mushroom that can’t be cultivated, and they only pop up in certain times of the year in selective locations. Because of this scarcity, they are not the cheapest mushroom to find. Dried mushrooms are going to be the most economical route, where the fresh ones will be the most powerful in flavor.

Where to Find Lobster Mushrooms

Forage Them

Finding fresh lobster mushrooms can be tricky since they must be foraged and cannot be grown.
The mushrooms grow in conifer forests with moisture, they grow in similar conditions to chanterelles and Chicken of the Woods. They can be found growing out of the ground under pine needles- they are bright red/orange, they stick out!
Lobster Mushrooms can be found in coastal areas of the PNW, along the East Coast, in the mountains of Colorado, or in the forests of Minnesota. They grow all cross North and Central America, unfortunately they do not grow in South America, Europe, Asia, or Australia.
To see if they grow in your area check out INaturalist. It’s a website and app created by environmentalists to help log plants, animals, and fungi across the world. It’s a tool that foragers like myself use regularly!
Foraging is the budget way to get these wonderful mushrooms

Buy Them Locally

Your local farmers market is the best place to buy fresh lobster mushrooms.
Check your local farmers market to see if there are any wild mushroom vendors! I’ve been able to find lobster mushrooms at numerous farmers markets in Denver and Seattle.
Even if lobster mushrooms don’t grow in your area many mushroom vendors will ship out foraged mushrooms to other vendors. The mushroom foraging community is a tight knit community- they will be able to point you in the right direction of finding fresh mushrooms! If you live in Seattle, Pike Place consistently sells them fresh in the late summer to early fall.

Order Online

The easiest option is to order dried lobster mushrooms online.
Places like Whole Foods or other gourmet cooking stores will carry lobster mushrooms, but at a dramatically higher price. Etsy is where I order my dried mushrooms since you are buying directly from the mushroom picker. However, I’ve seen some options available on Amazon as well.

Infusing the Lobster Mushrooms in Butter

The first step of this recipe is to slow cook the lobster mushrooms in butter.
You can also use refined coconut oil in place of butter, however you cannot make this recipe oil/fat free. Lobster mushrooms flavoring is fat soluble- meaning cooking it in a butter or a fat helps enhance the flavors. The process to do this is very similar to making a garlic confit- think of this as a lobster mushroom confit. You slow cook the mushrooms with enough fat to fully cover them, then you will strain the mushrooms from the fat.

You’ll use some of the infused butter for the cheese sauce but will be left with some leftover lobster mushroom infused butter.
This is one of the best parts of this recipe!
This lobster flavored butter is absolute perfection with any kind of sea food recipe. It is fantastic with pasta, it’s pairs beautifully with any creamy dish. Last year I added a tbs of this infused oil to my Pumpkin Sauce and it added this umami depth that was very delightful. It works well in most savory, creamy dishes.

The Cheese Sauce

This lobster mushroom mac and cheese recipe uses a basic cheese sauce that is made from a plant-based cheddar. The brand of cheddar doesn’t matter too much for this recipe- use your favorite. Better yet, make your own!

To make this sauce you’ll start by making a roux with flour and the infused butter, this helps the sauce have that perfect rich and creamy texture.
From there you’ll add milk and your seasonings. Soy Milk is a great option as it thickens well under heat due to it’s high protein content. However, any type of milk you prefer will work here as long as it is unsweetened. Even aquafaba works amazingly in mac and cheese sauce- the high protein content with the neutral flavor can be a game changer in cheese sauces! Try to avoid using black or pinto bean aquafaba as the coloring of it is less appealing for this recipe.

One key to sucess is to use a whisk with this recipe! A whisk will help prevent clumps; you will want to stir this consistently to prevent any clumping.

Garnishes

After you dish up the Lobster Mushroom Pasta, garnish it with thinly sliced green onions. If you like a little bit of heat sprinkle on some red pepper flakes. A drizzle of Calabrian Oil is another fantastic option to add some spice. Try saving a few pieces of lobster mushroom to sprinkle over the top before serving!

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