Summer Salad of Golden Oysters and Garden Greens

While Oyster mushrooms can be eaten raw as one might do with a button mushroom in a salad, the flavor is more complex if they are cooked first. This salad is a mix of greens dressed lightly with your favorite vinaigrette, then topped with roasted or sautéed Oyster mushrooms and whatever else you may have to provide a range of texture and accent flavors. Use fresh Oysters as visual garnish (Pink Oysters work nicely too).

Step 1: Golden Oysters are fragile and the best ones have small caps; so if you are harvesting your own, choose caps the size of half dollars or smaller. Larger caps must be torn into pieces. Either sauté until crisp around the edges in butter, or gently toss the whole caps with oil (about 1-2 Tbsp. of oil per pound of mushrooms), spread out on a baking sheet, and roast at 350° F. for about 20 minutes, or until mushroom edges are browned and crispy.

Step 2: Prepare a mix of fresh salad greens and toss with your favorite vinaigrette.

Step 3: Prepare and set aside an assortment textural additions - we suggest a combination of several of the following: dried or fresh cherries, celery, pea pods, sliced red pepper, cherry tomatoes, tiny cubes or crumbles of cheese, or even crisp pear slices and walnuts for later in the summer. Don't forget salty, crunchy things such as roasted nuts or possibly chow mein noodles.

Step 4. Spread out the salad greens onto a big serving platter, liberally sprinkle the mushrooms over the greens, and have fun adding the rest. Don't forget to garnish with fresh Golden Oysters!