Golden Oysters & Beets
What Do Golden Oyster Mushrooms Taste Like?
Golden oyster mushrooms are mild and savory, with a pleasant balance between meaty, vegetal, and earthy. The aroma is fresh and fungal. The fresher the shroom, the brighter the aroma. Older golden oysters may smell a touch piscine, and even quite so when dried. In contrast to Blue Oyster Mushrooms, golden oysters tend to have a more delicate raw texture and require a gentler hand when cleaning. To me, the magic of this species is in its ability to warp into completely contrasting textures. When boiled, steamed, or poached, you’ll get a silky, slippery, tender shroom with a pleasant bite. When fried, roasted, or grilled, you’ll get exceptional crispiness, char, and crunch. Use golden oysters as you would any cultivated mushroom, but especially wherever you are seeking textural contrast on a plate.
Golden oysters grow quite aggressively and are often considered invasive in North America. Where you find one, you’ll find hundreds, so harvest with zeal. They’ve also become naturalized in grocery stores and retail markets, where you may spot them mixed into a “chef’s blend” styrofoam cup or in those grow kits that pop up in Instagram ads. They’re also easy to cultivate and are a favorite of burgeoning mushroom farmers. If you’re not foraging yourself, check to see if any myco farms are growing them nearby. Despite their growing ubiquity in America, the species is native to Eastern Russia, Northern China, and Japan - which may give you a clue as to some of the more traditional culinary uses. Many recipes won’t differentiate between species of oyster mushrooms, and they are almost always interchangeable.
I’m a sucker for pickled mushrooms, and North Spore’s Pickled Golden Oyster Mushrooms look like they pack the right kind of punch. If you you need to start with the basics, Forager Chef can walk you through Cast Iron Oyster Mushroom Steaks. For a fuller meal, David Tanis has a Coconut Shrimp Curry with Mushrooms that favors the textures of a golden oyster. And if you like low-effort golden goodness, try these Golden Oysters & Beets.



Find the Flavor
Find Golden Oyster Mushrooms
✓ Forage for yourself all over North America
✓ Local mushrooms growers & farmer’s markets.
✓ Specialty grocery stores, especially those that feature East Asian ingredients.
Find Other Golden Oyster Products
✓ Dried Golden Oysters from Hidden Harvest Mushroom Farm
✓ Dried Golden Oysters from TheShroomeister on Etsy
✓ Golden Oyster Grow Kit from North Spore
Golden Oyset References & Resources
Forager Chef Golden Oyster Article
Andi Bruce: Tracing the Naturalization of Golden Oysters in the United States
Mushroom Appreciation Golden Oyster Article
Don King Golden Oyster YouTube Video
A Revision of the Taxonomic Status of Pleurotus citrinopileatus
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