Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in Cherry Tomato Sauce
Crispy, chewy, lion’s mane mushroom filets, seared in olive oil, and surrounded by a simple and fresh, garlicky, chunky and rustic sauce made with sweet cherry tomatoes and shallots, garnished with fresh basil. The entire dish is under 10 ingredients, and every single one of those ingredients is able to shine, all balanced and harmonized with each other. While the lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus, for those who prefer the Latin) is the center point of the dish, the tomato sauce is the soul, and they compliment each other perfectly.
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About Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)
Lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) are native to the Americas, Europe and Asia, and can be found growing on hardwood trees. It grows in a large, white clump with dangling, icicle-like white spines. Lion’s mane is an edible mushroom, but it is often also considered a medicinal mushroom as well due to it’s positive health effects. It is becoming more common for mushroom farmers to grow lion’s mane, but in the wild it can be foraged in the summer and fall.
How to Identify Lion’s Mane
Although I usually buy my lion’s mane, it is a great mushroom to forage as it’s very distinctive. There are a few mushrooms that look similar to lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), but it doesn’t really matter. They are also members of the Hericium genus, and taste basically identical to lion mane. It is best picked while it is white, and before it turns yellow, and when the spines are still quite short. It is found on hardwood trees, most commonly dead or dying beech, oak and maple. Cut the fruiting body from the tree close to the bark.
Lion’s Mane Nutrition and Health Benefits
Lion’s mane, like most mushrooms, is high in protein and fairly low in calories and contains no fat. It also has a number of great health benefits. It contains two chemicals, hericenones and erinacines that have been shown to stimulate neuronal growth. It has been suggested in animal models that those chemicals can help protect against and reduce the symptoms of dementia. While there haven’t been dementia studies in human subjects, there have been studies that suggest it improves mental functioning, especially in older adults. There have also been studies suggesting that various compounds in lion’s mane mushroom can help with anxiety, depression, digestive health, protects against heart disease and diabetes and more. It’s been used in Asia medicinally and to promote health for a long time, and basically is like a drug store in a white, spiky, puffball.
Feeling Summery? Try One of these Summery Dishes!
- Vegan Lemon Scones with Lemon Turmeric Glaze
- Papaya Seed Salsa/Papaya Seed Dressing
- The Easiest, Any-Fruit, Baked Dessert (Vegan Clafoutis)
- Summer Tomato Vegan Caprese Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper Vegan Paella
Making This Vegan Lion’s Mane Mushroom Dish
Summer cooking should be easy, so this dish is made all in one skillet with 7 basic ingredients. First, the lion’s mane mushroom is cut into slices, sort of like fillets- the mushroom I was using made around 9 fillets, between 1/2-1 inch thick. Those mushrooms are seared in olive oil and set aside, and the remaining oil in the pan is used to form the tomato sauce. This sauce is a really simple, chunky, rusty, tomato sauce. Garlic and shallots are sautéed, and then fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are added. Use a fork or your spatula to mash the tomatoes up a little, but not a lot- we like the chunkiness of this sauce. After a little simmering, salt, pepper, and fresh basil finish off the sauce, which is served with the seared lion’s mane.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large clump of lion’s mane mushroom
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 medium-sized shallot, diced
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- Basil, for garnish
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the lion’s mane mushroom into steak-like pieces, ½-1 inch thick. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the lion’s mane (in two batches, if necessary), and cover. Cook for about 3 minutes (until golden-brown) before flipping, and cooking until it is golden brown. Transfer the mushrooms onto a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.
- Add the garlic and shallots to the skillet, and sauté for about a minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and sauté on a medium-low heat for around 10 minutes, mashing the tomatoes a little with your spatula or a fork.
- After around 10 minutes you should have a fairly thick, chunky sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and top with fresh, torn basil. Serve the sauce with the cooked lion’s mane, and enjoy!
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Let’s hear from you…
- Do you like lion’s mane mushrooms? How have you had them before?
- Have you seen mushroom growers in your area that grow lion’s mane?
- Fresh tomatoes are something that feels really summer-like to us. What fruits or veggies make you most think of summer?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Saw packaged Lion’s Mane at Whole Foods so I bought two packages and tried thi recipe. No salt, lots of pepper, tripled the garlic – it was awesome!
Lions mane in Whole Foods? That’s so cool! I’m so glad you liked our recipe! I agree- the more garlic the better.
I haven’t succeeded in finding Lion’s Mane yet in the wild, but fortunately we have a local mushroom grower who offers these for sale on occasion. I enjoyed your recipe, although the mushrooms did absorb a bit too much oil for my tastes. I might have used too much , or not had the pan at the right temp. Either way, it was still good! Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I also usually find my lions mane at local growers instead of in the woods. I would try raising the temperature of the pan a little. Glad you liked it!
This is my first time with using Lion’s Mane mushrooms. Your recipe turned out delicious! I appreciated the link you included so I could learn more about this mushroom.
So glad you liked at! Lions mane in such a unique and interesting mushroom