Crab Stuffed Morels Recipes

CRAB STUFFED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• If you're using fresh morels, skip to cutting the morels with a scissors.
• Soak the dried morels (fresh morels never need soaking, no matter what Grandpaddy said) in room temperature water to cover.
• You want to use clean mushrooms here. If, for any reason you suspect your morels are especially sandy, rehydrate them in a larger volume of water so that you can swish them vigorously to remove grit.
• When the dried morels are hydrated, squeeze them dry, save the liquid for making a pan sauce or adding to a soup, some other purpose, or discard.
• Trim the ends of the mushrooms to clean them up a bit and make for a pretty presentation (optional).
• Using a scissors, cut open one side of each morel. Large morels that will be easy to stuff can be left whole, but I prefer to cut them to make stuffing easier. Reserve the cut morels.
• For the crab filling, combine all the filling ingredients gently, trying to keep some of the crab pieces intact, then taste a spoonful. Adjust the seasoning as needed for salt, lemon zest, herbs, and whatever else you like until it tastes good to you. Lemon zest is important here as this is a heavy dish--the citrus acts as the high note of a song, lifting it up and lightening it.
• Preheat the oven to 450
• Take a tablespoon or so of the filling and stuff each morel, then fold them closed. Put the morels, cut side down in a baking dish that will fit them snugly, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and parmesan, drizzle over the butter and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and puffed, then serve. They're great by themselves, alongside a steak or as a lunch with a green salad.

CRAB-STUFFED MORELS

Steps:

• Clean morels thoroughly, rinsing the insides as best as possible. Cut stem down to 1 inch to create a clear opening to insert stuffing.
• Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking frequently until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let cool; chop finely.
• Combine pine nuts, crabmeat, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, thyme, pepper, garlic powder in a food processor; pulse into a fine paste.
• Spoon crab paste into a heavy-duty plastic bag and snip off 1 corner with scissors. Pipe paste into morels.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with butter.
• Beat 2 egg whites in a bowl. Place bread crumbs in a second bowl. Roll stuffed morels in the egg whites, then coat evenly with bread crumbs. Place morels on the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between them.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Flip morels and rotate the baking sheet every 5 minutes to ensure even baking. Serve while still warm.

STUFFED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place mushrooms in a large bowl of salted water. Soak until clean and soft, 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain mushrooms, rinse well, and set out to dry on a clean towel.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Chop mushroom stems finely. Cut mushroom caps in half lengthwise; place cut-side up in a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped mushroom stems, red bell pepper, and green onion; cook and stir until green onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Mix cream cheese, crabmeat, egg, celery leaves, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and sea salt together in a large bowl. Fold in cooled onion mixture. Place a dollop of filling in each mushroom cap with a small spoon.
• Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of filled mushroom caps.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.