One of my favorite ways of cooking mushrooms? Not cooking them at all. Make this mushroom salad, you’ll thank me later.
This shaved mushroom salad is one of the simplest recipes on my blog. There is no cooking or special tools involved – just a knife, a cutting board, and a mixing bowl! It’s one of those recipes that proves less is more.
When I was working at a restaurant in Portofino, Italy, the chef taught me how to make a delicious amuse bouche. We made it with the most spectacular chanterelle mushrooms, sliced extremely thin and served raw. It’s what inspired me to create this mushroom salad!
When slicing the mushrooms, try to cut them as thin as possible. You can do this with your knife or a mandolin. Pro tip: If you are shaky with your knife skills, slice the mushrooms in half and turn them cut sides down on your cutting board. This will give you more stability and will make the mushroom easier to cut.
It may seem like a ton of mushrooms right after they are sliced. However, they start to shrink the moment they’re dressed. The salt and vinegar “cooks” them and brings out some of the water inside. So if you’re making this ahead of time, don’t toss the mushrooms with the oil, vinegar, or salt until right before serving.
Ingredient Notes:
- Mushrooms – If you can only find one type of mushroom, triple up on those! You don’t need all of them if they’re not available. Chanterelle mushrooms are my favorite, but they are a bit pricey, so if you can’t find them or need to skip those, that’s okay.
- Fresh Herbs – If you don’t have parsley, chives are a great alternative.
- Shaved Parmesan – Pre-shaved Parm is perfectly fine, but I love to shave it fresh from a big block of good quality Parmigiano Reggiano. Use a vegetable peeler to make it easy!
- Kosher Salt – Whenever I use a measured amount of salt, I am using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. It’s THE BEST. If you are using another brand or even table salt, use it to taste.
Simplest Shaved Mushroom Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms cleaned and thinly sliced
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms cleaned and thinly sliced
- 8 oz. chanterelle mushrooms cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup parsley roughly chopped
- 3 oz. shaved Parmesan plus more for garnish
- 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt or salt to taste if you don't have kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss to coat. It's important here to use Kosher salt, not table salt, as the measurement will be incorrect and the salad will be too salty. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Place into a serving bowl and sprinkle additional shaved Parmesan on top, if desired.
This is so easy to make, mushroom lovers! It’s nice to have a variety of salads to serve sometimes instead of the same old, same old.