Morels are an exclusive type of mushrooms grown in Europe and North America mostly. The cone-shaped cap makes this mushroom distinct. Due to its meaty texture, chefs worldwide consider the top-notch mushrooms. It varies in color from creamy to blackish cap to a white or pale cream stem. You need to clean them properly before using them.
The preparation process is simple. You will get utterly delicious morel mushrooms if you sauté or grill them. They are hard to find in the market because of difficult cultivation. So, if you are looking for morel mushroom substitutes, then you are looking at the right place.
They are typically famous among food lovers because they are grown in the wild. The shape varies from rectangle to bulb and has a honeycomb appearance from the outside. However, the inside is hollow.
The taste flavor can attract anyone. It has an earthy taste with a nutty and wood-like touch. The flavor changes with the color of the mushroom. The darker the mushroom, the stronger would be the taste. They are an expensive type because they are hard to grow, get destroyed easily, and have a short season. Beware of the false morels that can be poisonous.
Morel Mushroom Substitutes
1) Oyster Mushrooms
These mushrooms are everyone’s favorite and are mainly popular in Japanese and Chinese cuisines. The shape of the cap is thin and broad, and its color is white, brown, or gray.
They are easy to find as compared to morels. Just like morels, oyster mushrooms take less time to prepare and can be used in whole or chopped forms. When you fry, grill, sauté or roast them, they take a tender texture.
The taste is mild and savory with strong earthy touch similar to morels. Although you can eat oysters raw, it is better to utilize them in cooked dishes.
2) Dried Morels
If you are not ready to use anything other than morels, use its dried form. Make sure to hydrate them first.
3) Shiitake Mushrooms
Another wild mushroom on our list, shiitake have wide mushroom caps. They are chewy but the stem is often not used in cooking. The taste profile is close to morels as it has an earthy and rich flavor. Shiitake mushrooms are available in both dry and fresh forms. The dried form has a rather intense flavor with an added smokiness. Its meaty texture makes it a good choice for soups, stuffing, and risottos.
When replacing morels, add shiitake in an equal quantity of morels as indicated in the recipe.
In Asia, usage of shiitakes is high because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has fiber and several vitamins like A, B, C, and D.
4) Chanterelles
These colorful mushrooms are an expensive choice. The colors vary from shades of pink to yellow. The taste is a little distinct to morels. However, it is hard to find such a unique flavor and aroma through other mushrooms. Famous in French cuisine, its fruity taste makes it a star of the dish. Just like morels, they have a difficult time growing.
5) Maitake
One of the top mushrooms available today is the maitake or hen-of-the-woods. It is a wild mushroom that grows at the base of oak trees. The bouquet-shaped mushrooms are used in Chinese and Japanese cuisines. The delicate texture and earthy flavor make it a great replacement for morels. The edges are lacy, but the overall taste is meaty.
The best way of using maitake is air frying or pan-frying them. You can chop and add the mushrooms to an omelet. These have many nutritional benefits like improving the immune system. So, you can replace morels with maitake.
Morel mushrooms live up to the hype that is created around them. The earthy flavor, variety of colors, and versatile usage make it a chef’s favorite. However, with great qualities comes the difficulty of cultivating them. Hence, it is hard to find and is generally expensive. So, you can use other morel mushroom substitutes like oyster, shiitake, and maitake mushrooms.
Chanterelles is a nice choice too but have a slightly different taste and equally expensive. Dried morel mushroom can do the job too if you are persistent in using morels. Thus, you can choose from any of these options to enjoy mushrooms in your dish.