King Oyster Mushroom Calamari - Vegan/Gluten-Free

King oyster mushrooms have a very seafood texture and make excellent calamari. Just batter them up, fry them and you'll have some crispy calamari in minutes!

We love supporting the local farmers markets and they always have the freshest mushrooms in town. We were lucky enough to pick up some king oyster mushrooms and black king oyster mushrooms! Apparently the regular king oysters have a more chewy texture whereas the black king oyster has a softer texture. To be honest when it comes to calamari I prefer the regular because it mimics the chewiness of squid. We made a creamy dill sauce that made the best dipping sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

Batter:

• 1/2 cup fava & garbanzo flour (we used Bob's Red Mill)

• 1 tbs baking powder

• 1/8 tsp cayenne powder

• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

• Salt & pepper

• Water about a 1/2 cup

Other:

• 4-5 medium-large King oyster mushrooms

• High temperature oil for frying (we used safflower, you can use coconut, avocado, etc.)

Sauce:

• 3 tbs Vegan Mayo

• 2 tsp of fresh Lemon Juice

• 1/4 tsp dried or fresh Dill

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Slice the king oyster mushrooms into circles if you have smaller sized mushrooms cut them into strips

• Cut the middles out to make a ring shape

• Save the middles to batter and fry as well

• Add all the dry batter ingredients together in mixing bowl

• Add water and whisk until the consistency is like pancake batter about 1/2 cup water

• Coat the mushrooms in the batter

• In a pan on medium heat add about 1" of oil to the pan

• Wait until the oil has headed up before adding the mushrooms

• Add mushrooms to pan making sure they aren't touching each other

• Flip once they're golden brown

• Add to a plate with paper towel to absorb the oil

• To make the sauce add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well

• Serve with sauce and enjoy!