I made these for the first time several years ago for a 40th birthday party that we catered. As I recall, the inspiration for this dish was the largest shiitake mushrooms that I had ever seen. Since then we’ve found a source for huge shiitake mushrooms which are farmed in Pennsylvania. We buy them by the case, and it is amazing how fast we go through them. Last week we purveyed some really outstanding looking (and tasting) shiitakes, and I’ve been meaning to do a post about shiitake-salmon sandwiches for a while.
They can be served either as appetizers or as an entrée: the recipe below is for an individual “shiitake sandwich” therefore simply proportionally increase the quantities for however many you are making.
Ingredients:
2 large shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and washed
1 small salmon filet (preferably wild caught), skin removed, and trimmed to slightly larger than the shiitake mushrooms
1 each yellow, red, orange baby sweet peppers, seeded and roasted
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
several squirts of Sriracha sauce
sprig rosemary on the stem to use as skewer
salt & pepper to taste
broccoli rabe floret, quickly steamed, for garnish (optional)
Method:
Scorch the sweet peppers in either the oven or, better yet, in a toaster oven. Keep your eye on them as you proceed with the remaining steps.
In a small sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat; add the shiitake mushrooms. Cook both sides until tender, but still firm, and remove from heat.
Meanwhile in another small sauté pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, heat, and then add the small salmon filet piece. Cook one side for two minutes, then flip, and cook the other side for a minute. Reduce heat, add the lemon juice, and remove from heat.
To plate, place a shiitake cap side down at the center of the dish. Add the red, yellow, and orange roasted peppers and top with the salmon filet piece. Give everything a couple of squirts of the Sriracha, and finish by adding the second shiitake on top, completing the sandwich. Spear the sandwich with a rosemary sprig, and squirt a few extra drops of the Srirachi around the plate. Place the broccoli rabe floret near the sandwich, if using, and serve.
RMA
