Mushroom Vegan Po’boy (Aborted Entoloma Recipe)

Soft, crusty bread with a flavorful, creamy sauce, crunchy cabbage, sharp pickles, and sweet and savory tomatoes lay the background for the real star of the show- deep fried shrimp of the woods. Because if you’re going to go through the effort of foraging, why not also treat yourself to something fried! This vegan po’boy is our take on a the New Orleans classic, plus our very first aborted entoloma recipe! If aborted entoloma doesn’t sound appetizing to you (understandable), call them by their nickname, shrimp of the woods. It’s delicious, and not too heavy (despite the deep-fried component), and a perfect way to reward yourself from a long day foraging.

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Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.

Identifying Aborted Entoloma (AKA Shrimp of the Woods)

Shrimp of the woods (the much nicer sounding name for aborted entoloma) remind me of packing peanuts, littering the forest floor. In their aborted form, they are white, poofy, irregular blobs of mushroom, clustered as if randomly flung from a package opening. In their non-aborted form, Entoloma abortivum is a non-descript, small, grayish mushroom, that looks like plenty of other poisonous and non-poisonous fungi. Aborted entoloma (Entaloma abortivum) are a fascinating mushroom, appearing usually in mid-September, when the honey mushrooms are in their prime. The shrimp of the woods and honey mushrooms actually have a interesting and not well understood relationship- the most recent work suggests that the aborted form of the entoloma occurs when the parasitic entoloma has attacked and hijacked the mycelium of the honey mushroom.

Look for them growing near decaying wood or leaf debris, by hardwood trees, or nearby where you’ve found honey mushrooms. They like to cluster loosely, so finding one typically means there are many more nearby. The best way to pick good mushrooms is to pick ones that are still firm, and haven’t become squishy. Make sure to remove the small, dirt covered end before you put it in your bag though- once dirt starts to collect, they’ll be much harder to clean. You also might find some of the non-aborted specimens- I do not recommend eating them, as they have several poisonous lookalikes and none of the fun, “shrimp”-like texture of the aborted form. Definitely only use the aborted form for this aborted entoloma recipe.

Looking to Cook Wild Mushrooms? Check out these Foraged Mushroom Posts

• Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in Cherry Tomato Sauce
• Cream of Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Soup
• Collard Greens and Maitake Steamed Buns (Hen of the Woods)
• Vegan Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce
• Wild Oyster Mushroom Dumplings
• Chocolate Coated Cranberry Wood Ear Mushrooms

About the Po’Boy

The po’boy is a traditional Louisiana sandwich, usually filled with meat or fried seafood (like shrimp, crab, or fish), on a light and fluffy New Orleans style French bread. While roast beef was originally the most popular filling, seafood has started to be more popular over the years. Because of that, for our vegan po’boy we used a natural shrimp substitute- shrimp of the woods. The origin of the name po’boy is a little bit of a mystery- one legend suggests it came about in New Orleans in 1929, during a streetcar worker strike, when a local restaurant offered those on strike free sandwiches. Sandwiches for the “poor boys” were shortened to “po’boy”- although there isn’t much evidence to support this story. We made our po’boy dressed with tomatoes and pickles (traditional), purple cabbage (not traditional), and a not all that accurate version of a remoulade sauce (not accurate, but traditional).

No, It isn’t really a remoulade…

It’s not the most accurate recipe ever, but we like it. Our remoulade sauce might be a little closer to a tartar sauce than a traditional remoulade, but it is what it is- which is a delicious mayonnaise-based sauce. Worcestershire sauce (not vegan) would probably make it a little more traditional, but we decided to keep it simple and delicious. One element for you to play around with is spice-level- adjust to taste depending on how spicy the hot sauce you use is. Louisiana-style hot sauce contains high amounts of vinegar, red chilies, and salt. Common brands are Frank’s Red Hot (what I used), Tabasco, and Crystal Hot Sauce.

How to Make Vegan Po’boys with Shrimp of the Woods

I like to think of this vegan po’boy as having three elements.

1. Chopping: Cabbage, tomatoes, bread, etc. Elements that don’t need any more treatment than being made the correct size
2. Sauce: Also very simple, it’s pretty much a measure and mix type of situation.
3. The “shrimp”: Here’s where the work is- these mushrooms need to be cooked, so we’re going to go for a deep fry on this sandwich.

The first and second elements don’t really need much instruction, so I’m just going to talk about the third one a little. After your mushrooms are properly identified, picked, and cleaned, get a pot of oil on the stove (you could also use a deep fryer if you have one). Next, dredge your mushroom first in flour, shaking it off well, before dipping it quickly in soymilk (or any other vegan milk you like). Finally, give it a good toss in some breadcrumbs, so the whole mushroom is coated. From there it’s into the fryer for about 5 minutes, until the mushroom is good and crispy. Drain off the excess oil, and start sandwich assembling!

Wild Mushroom Vegan Po’boy (Aborted Entoloma Recipe)

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