Breaded & baked oyster mushrooms take the place of meat in this veggie riff on a po' boy sandwich! They're fun, healthy, and downright delicious.
This blog may be mostly healthy, but I have to admit that I enjoy my share of fried foods from time to time. Fried oysters, fried shrimp – I love it all, even if it’s “sometimes food.” That is until now, because these baked oyster mushrooms are every bit as crispy, meaty, and delectable as anything fried. They’re easy to make, they’re healthy, and there’s no messy fry oil involved.
I’ll just go ahead and say it – if you make one recipe this summer, make this one. These mushrooms are so delicious stuffed into a soft baguette with a slather of Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise. The Dijonnaise is bright, tangy and a little spicy, so it pairs perfectly with the mushrooms.
How to Make Po’ Boys with Oyster Mushrooms!
Start by marinating the mushrooms for a short time and then breading them with a spiced mixture of cornmeal, panko, and hemp seeds. The hemp seeds give these a nice crispy bite, and they also add a little bit of protein.
Then, dip each mushroom in a flax/water mixture to get the breading to stick. Alternatively, you could use an egg white – I tried both and the flax actually worked (and tasted) better. Which means that these mushrooms, on their own, are vegan… but I promise no one will know because they taste so good.
Bake the mushrooms until they’re golden brown and crispy. Then squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice on top. Stuff them into sandwiches with tomatoes, pickles, arugula, and Dijonnaise, and dig in!
Oyster Mushroom Recipe Variations
If you’re vegan, I recommend slathering your sandwich with Sir Kensington’s Dijon mustard. (Or mix the Dijon with a little vegan mayo to create a creamy sauce). I buy Sir Kensington’s condiments at Whole Foods, but click here to find a store near you that carries their products. I love their all-natural Ketchups and Mayonnaise too.
And if you love mushrooms…
Try this veggie burger, this soup, or this pasta next!
Oyster Mushroom Po' Boys
- 3 cups loosely packed oyster mushrooms
- drizzle of olive oil
- drizzle of rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons ground flaxseeds + 4 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 5-inch pieces of baguette
- Sir Kensington's Dijonnaise
- A few handfuls of arugula
- Sliced tomatoes
- Pickles
- Lemon wedges
- Use a damp towel to gently clean the mushrooms. Trim off the coarse part of the stems (soft stems are ok), and place the mushrooms in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, rice vinegar and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Gently toss and aside to marinate.
- Preheat the oven to 450 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir the ground flaxseed together with the water.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, panko, hemp seeds, Old Bay, cayenne, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Pour the breading mixture onto a plate.
- Bread the mushrooms by dipping each one into the flax mixture, let some of the excess drip off, then place it onto the breading plate and gently coat the mushroom with the breading. Repeat for all mushrooms. Once you get toward the end, if you’re running out of flax, or if you have smaller pieces of mushrooms, scrape the remaining flax in the mushroom bowl, toss, then add in the remaining breading and toss to coat.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the edges. Remove from the oven and squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the mushrooms.
- Assemble sandwiches, filling buns with Dijonnaise, arugula, tomato slices, and pickles. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
This post was created in partnership with Sir Kensington’s.
I made these with oyster mushrooms from our farm share a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them! This week we got shiitake mushrooms and I’m wondering if they would work too.
Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! It should work with shiitakes! I’ve coated a lot of various vegetables in this mixture and it always works 🙂
These turned out fabulous! I used your recipe excpt for the sauce, which I borrowed from Food52 which is a mix of:
1/4 cup mayonnaise or aioli
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish with or without beets
1/3 cup celery, finely chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/2 teaspoon mustard
Hi Adriana – I’m glad you liked them!
Just made this for dinner and my non-vegetarian husband scarfed it down so fast. I subbed creole seasoning to the breading and it added another layer of kick. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Right now the mushrooms are baking in my oven…for the third time since discovering this recipe. It’s awesome and tasty. Thank you so much for your fantastic blog!
One question: will your cookbook be like this blog – giving vegan options for every recipe? 🙂
Ha – I’m so glad you’ve been liking it! This one is one of my personal favorites :). Yes, the book has vegan options for just about every recipe 🙂
Perfect. Then I’m going to preorder it right now. 😉
ha, thanks! There are a few egg recipes that don’t have no-egg options, but it’s over 100 recipes with every vegan option/suggested substitution labeled below each recipe. Hope you like 🙂
Great idea! I am allergic to shellfish but love the idea of broiled oysters and I’ve used oyster mushrooms as a subsistitue. I never thought to bread them! Making this soon!!!
Great idea! I am allergic to shellfish but love the idea of broiled oysters and I’ve used oyster mushrooms as a subsistitue. I never thought to bread them! Making this soon!!!
Great idea! I am allergic to shellfish but love the idea of broiled oysters and I’ve used oyster mushrooms as a subsistitue. I never thought to bread them! Making this soon!!!
These look amazing and I bought some beautiful oyster mushrooms to make them – but it is too hot to turn the oven on and the heat isn’t supposed to let up for awhile! Do you think it would be ok to cook the mushrooms in a skillet, with just a tiny bit of oil (enough to coat the pan)? Would they still get crispy enough? Thanks!
What’s a good alternative to Sir Kensington’s Dijonnaise? I live in Burlington, VT and looked at the company’s retailers, but no one around me sells it!
Hi Felix! Though our Dijonnaise hasn’t found its way to Burlington yet, many of our mustards and mayos can be found at City Market and Healthy Living in Burlington. Feel free to email us at sirk@sirkensingtons.com if you have any trouble.
What a great idea! Seriously, I could kiss you! Like what is a girl to do when she is craving a fried po boy?! I now have the answer! THANK YOU!
What a great way to splurge! This looks delicious, perhaps I’ll have to try these this weekend when our vegetarian friends come over for dinner! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 Charlie, http://www.lemonbutterlove.com
This sammie sounds AMAZING. Love the addition of the hemp seeds!
LOOOOVE this idea!! I can’t get oyster mushrooms though…I can find some similar mushrooms in the fall though, or cremini year-round. I wonder if these would work as well.
Oh, and I brought home a jar of Sir Kengsington’s dijon mustard from the US and it was one of my most treasured possessions.
A great alternative to frying – baked oyster mushroom! Even the meat lovers will enjoy this vegan po’ boys. I love your breading mixture, too – cornmeal, panko and hemp seeds, ‘will definitely give it that crunch.
Oh my, this looks fantastic! I’ve been jealous of the oyster po’ boys that my husband ate when we took a trip to the maritimes but they weren’t gluten free and the idea of shucking oysters at home terrifies me. This is the perfect way to make my own with gf breadcrumbs, no shucking required! Definitely cannot wait to try this!
I love PoBoys! They are one of my favorite lunches to have. This recipe looks good!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I love oyster mushrooms. never thought of breading them. this looks absolutely delicious and i am definitely going to give it a go soon.
That looks absolutely amazing!
These look absolutely divine. I’m wishing the weather would clear up as I would love to whip one of these up and enjoy while sitting on my deck, watching the waves lap up on the beach.
I’ll be hosting a build-your-own taco party mid July. Do you think these oyster mushrooms would be tasty in a taco (for my vegetarian guests)?
Ok, I don’t even like oysters and this look fantastic!