Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms

These easy sautéed oyster mushrooms are cooked in butter and tossed with garlic and fresh herbs for a quick and delicious side dish. This recipe is adapted from Julia Child’s champignons sautés au beurre.

In early May, a box showed up on my doorstep.

It was a surprise delivery. A mushroom delivery.

I was thrilled!

My friend Melanie surprised me with a blue oyster mushroom growing kit from Smallhold in New York.

And guys, the kit was enormous!

Smallhold isn’t shipping their mushrooms nationwide anymore, but you can still buy them at Whole Foods.

The directions that came with the kit said I’d be able to harvest mushrooms within a week or so, but mine were a little slow to grow.

I had mushroom growing pains.

Eventually, Smallhold helped me out with a little mushroom handholding, and we figured out that my mushrooms were overwatered.

You see, where I live in Kentucky is a lot more humid than New York, and in this environment it was better to just completely ignore the mushrooms.

I left the mushrooms alone, and within a few days, Boom! Massive oyster mushrooms!

This post is NOT sponsored by Smallhold, but I do highly recommend them if you want to try growing mushrooms at home.

As I stared at the massive ‘shrooms, I thought of all the different ways I could prepare them.

But first, I wanted to prepare them the way I typically use mushrooms.

I wanted to use my favorite Julia Child recipe for champignons sautés au beurre (mushrooms sautéed in butter).

These sautéed oyster mushrooms are an easy and delicious way to enjoy your wild, homegrown, or store-bought oyster mushrooms.

If you’re wondering what I made next, check out this Japanese-inspired mushroom salad with ginger sesame dressing.

How to Prepare Oyster Mushrooms

If you see any visible dirt, brush the dirt off with a towel.

If you grew your oyster mushrooms in a kit, there’s probably no dirt to clean off.

Do not rinse off the mushrooms. They will absorb water and be more difficult to brown in the pan.

If your mushrooms have tough ends, cut those parts off.

Next, you can either tear the mushrooms into pieces or slice them. I like to tear oyster mushrooms.

How to Sauté Oyster Mushrooms

Start by heating both oil and butter in a large heavy-bottom pan. I like to use this Lodge enameled cast iron skillet or this Lodge 12″ skillet.

The butter will foam as it melts. When the foam goes away, add the mushrooms.

Stir the mushrooms to help them toast evenly.

At first, the mushrooms will absorb the butter, and then they’ll release liquid as they brown.

When they’re lightly toasted, add a little garlic and some diced chives. Keep cooking until your oyster mushrooms are golden.

Season the sautéed oyster mushrooms with salt, and serve!

These meaty mushrooms pair perfectly with goat cheese mashed potatoes and air fryer salmon, and then you can add any leftovers to a mushroom omelette the next day.