I started picking mushrooms in Oregon when I was a child, and by middle school, I was selling mushrooms to grocery stores. I studied mycology with David Hosford at Central Washington University, and when I graduated, I worked with Paul Stamets at Fungi Perfecti. I also worked for the USDA surveying mushroomsand creating environmental impact statements. I later started a truffle farm, which, unsurprisingly, failed. Now I am growing and cooking mushrooms. I first published a version of this recipe in my book Cooking Wild Mushrooms for People Who Don’t Like Mushrooms. You can substitute the tuna with scallops or beef, and the morels with dried honey mushrooms or shiitake. Altogether, the dish takes about an hour, although you aren’t really doing anything most of the time.
Morel-Encrusted Tuna
I started picking mushrooms in Oregon when I was a child, and by middle school, I was selling mushrooms to grocery stores. I studied mycology with David Hosford at Central Washington University, and when I graduated, I worked with Paul Stamets at Fungi Perfecti. I also worked for the USDA surveying mushroomsand creating environmental impact statements. I later started a truffle farm, which, unsurprisingly, failed. Now I am growing and cooking mushrooms. I first published a version of this recipe in my book Cooking Wild Mushrooms for People Who Don’t Like Mushrooms. You can substitute the tuna with scallops or beef, and the morels with dried honey mushrooms or shiitake. Altogether, the dish takes about an hour, although you aren’t really doing anything most of the time.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces fresh tuna steaks, about 2 inches thick
- 1⁄3 cup soy sauce
- 2 cups dried morels
- 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut or avocado oil or other neutral oil
Notes
Bring the tuna to room temperature. Pour the soy sauce in a plate with a rim and place the fish in the sauce. Allow to rest about 20 minutes on each side. While you are waiting, grind the morels into a fine powder using a spice or coffee bean grinder.
Remove the fish from the soy sauce and sprinkle the morel powder all over; pat the powder into the meat with your fingers and then let rest for 25 minutes. This allows the mushrooms to adhere to the meat and reconstitute.
Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium-low until it just starts to smoke. Sear the tuna for 3 to 31⁄2 minutes on each side (searing for a total of 6 to 7 minutes should be enough to ensure the morels are thoroughly cooked). Avoid moving the fish while it is searing.
Let the tuna rest for a few minutes, then slice. This preparation is wonderful by itself or served as a tataki salad.
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