Custom Search
| |
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
I have not found this mushroom in the areas of New Mexico where I regularly hunt mushrooms but when I went to the Arizona Mushroom Club foray thee were large numbers there. This is actually a parasitic fungus that usually attacks members of the Lactarius and Russula genera. The host species in ones I observed was apparently Russula brevipes. While it is possible that this fungus could parasitize a poisonous mushroom resulting in a lobster mushroom that could cause poisoning this apparently happens very rarely if ever because there are very few poisoning reports involving Hypomyces lactifluorum (a level consistent with normal adverse reactions).
Contents of this Page
Common Names - Common names listed for many languages
Descriptions - Links to descriptions of this species in many languages
Photographs - Links to photographs of this species on the web
Drawings and Paintings - Links to illustrations of this species on the web
Postage Stamps - Links to postage stamps showing this species on the web
Recipes on the Web - Links to recipes for this species on the web (in many languages)
My Own Recipes:
Stir-Fried Lobster Mushrooms with Snow Peas in Oyster Sauce
Pasta with Lobster Mushrooms, Shrimp and Peas in a Cream Sauce
NOTE REGARDING INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE
The following information and links are compiled by B.W. Freyburger of Gallup, New Mexico, who regularly finds Helvellae during the late summer and fall in the mountains near there. Please notify him of persistently dead links, additional links regarding this species, or errors in information or links herein through email by clicking on his name above. This site contains links to other sites which are not authored by or controlled by the webmaster of this site. Unfortunately these sites sometimes diasppear or or are reorganized or moved leaving the link nonfunctional. I try to check for dead links and update or remove them as often as possible. Information, recipes, photographs, illustrations, and other material on these sites is likely subject to copyright protection. Please respect the legal rights of persons creating this material. This site also utilizes some clip art obtained from sources which identified it as public domain or authorized for use on non-commercial sites. If you notice any material on this site which you believe to be used in violation of copyright laws please notify the webmaster immediately. Some clip art appearing here is original. All original material contained on this page not otherwise copyrighted is ©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All rights reserved.
Basque:
Catalan:
Czech:
Danish:
Dutch:
English: lobster mushroom
Finnish:
French:
German:
Hungarian:
Italian:
Japanese:
Norwegian:
Polish:
Yugoslavian (Serbian?):
Slovakian:
Slovenian:
Spanish:
Swedish:
Turkish:
Links to descriptions of Hypomyces lactifluorum on the web in many languages.
Basque
Catalan
English
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Spanish
Swedish
Links to photographs of Hypomyces lactifluorum on the web.
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Links to illustrations of Hypomyces lactifluorum on the web.
©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Links to postage stamps depicting Hypomyces lactifluorum on the web.
THE MANDATORY DISCLAIMER
On mycophagy:
There is a saying in German that translates roughly as "All mushrooms are edible, but some kinds only once." Put another way, there are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters.
Don't overdo it. Most adverse reactions I have had to wild mushrooms have usually been tied to over-consumption. Most of all, if you aren't absolutely sure what it is, it is generally wiser not to eat it. When in doubt throw it out.
Hypomyces lactifluorum seems to regularly incorporate dirt by its shape and the way it grows. Luckily, unlike most mushrooms, lobster mushrooms can be readily washed in running water without excessive resulting degradation or sogginess. They usually need it too. I use a brush under running water to remove as much dirt from the cap area as possible.
On storing Hypomyces lactifluorum:
This mushroom dries easily with good results.
On cooking Hypomyces lactifluorum:
Hypomyces lactifluorum is brilliantly colored but the flavor, at least when fresh, is subtle. It is best cooked with seafood, particularly crab, lobster, crawfish and shrimp, along with many species of fish.
Links to recipes using Hypomyces lactifluorum appearing on the web.
Czech
English
B and C Lasagna of Wild and Exotic Mushrooms
Braised lobster mushrooms over biscuits (scroll down)
Crusted Halibut on Green Lentils
Foie Gras And Mushroom Stew With Mascarpone Dumplings
Linguine, Crab, and Lobster Mushrooms in Spumante Reduction
Melange of Sausage and Potato Paupiette
Open-Fire Caldron of Lobster Stew
Potato and Black Truffle Crusted Scallops (scroll down)
Provimi Veal Carpaccio With Truffled Wild Mushrooms
Roast Breast with Lobster Mushrooms
Roasted Mushroom and White Asparagus or Endive Salad
Roasted Quail Stuffed With a Mushroom and Andouille Duxelle
Smothered Veal Chops With Mushroom Gravy
Spaghetti with Chicken, Spinach & Lobster Shrooms
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Swedish
Here are a couple of my
favorite recipes:
This is a delicious dish and has good contrasting colors.
Serves 2
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, grated
2 tablespoons peanut or other oil suitable for stir-frying
1/2 lb. fresh Lobster Mushrooms, sliced about 1/8" thick
1/2 lb. snow peas
3 scallions, cut in 1-inch lengths, including green part
1-1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon chinese rice wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
hot cooked rice
Mix oyster sauce, rice wine, chicken stock and cornstarch and set aside. Heat a wok over high heat. When hot add oil, ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add lobster mushrooms and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add scallions and snow peas and stir-fry two minutes more. Stir oyster sauce mixture to remix cornstarch and pour into wok. Continue cooking, stir-frying, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve with hot cooked rice.
Pasta with Lobster Mushrooms, Shrimp and Peas in a Cream Sauce
This is a surprisingly good dish made better if you use homemade pasta (recipe follows). Due to the delicate size of the items in this sauce I suggest using a linguine or spaghetti rather than the heftier fetucine I normally prefer with mushroom dishes. Pearl onions work well in this dish and contrast nicely with the peas but you can use scallions as well. Salad shrimp are usable, cheap, and generally available precooked in small packages. A bit larger size would work somewhat better though.
Serves 2
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
4 oz. small shrimp, pelled and deveined
1-1/2 cups lobster mushrooms, cut in about 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup pearl onions or scallions cut in 1/4-inch lenths (if scallions are used keep white and green parts separate)
1 tablespoon flour (if half-and-half is used)
1 cup cream or half-and-half
1 tablespoon marsala wine
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg1 cup fresh or frozen peas, removed from shell
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
salt and white pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese
cooked linguine or spaghetti for two
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook very briefly stirring. Do not let burn or dish will be bitter. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until done or warmed up if precooked. Add lobster mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about three minutes. When mushrooms are cooked through add pearl onions or the white part of the scallions and stir to mix. If using half-and-half sprinkle flour over the top of the skillet contents and stir to mix thoroughly. Let cook another minute or two. Add cream or half-and-half, marsala wine and nutmeg and cook until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Add peas and cook until thickened into a nice sauce, stirring constantly. When thickened add chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Place cooked pasta in serving container, top with sauce and stir to mix. Top with grated cheese.
Homemade Linguine
The result of this recipe is a real "handmade" pasta that tastes great with a particularly fresh flavor and has marvelous texture that commercial dried pasta cannot match.
Pasta Dough
This dough can be used to make virtually anything from traditional egg noodles to fettucine to tagliarini to egg roll wrappers to won ton skins to capelletti to ravioli to tortellini to lasagne, all based upon how it is shaped, cut and cooked. Commercial pasta is generally made from the hardest wheat flours available (usually semolina or durham). This tends to make them hold their shape better and be less fragile after drying. For pasta that is to be cooked fresh all-purpose flour is usually sufficient. You can use a pasta machine if you wish but hand kneading is good exercise and lets you really feel the pasta. A pasta machine may be fine for a restaurant that has to put out large quantities of fresh pasta, but I would no more use one most of the time than I would use a bread machine to make bread. Kneading with your hands is a whole lot more satisfying and better exercise too.
The following amounts are merely guesses. I haven't measured ingredients for for fresh pasta for over 25 years. As moisture content of flour can be highly variable and the size of eggs is equally variable the resulting dough should be based on obtaining the desired consistency (similar to a normal bread dough, but don't let it rise) rather than based on strict measurements. This should be enough ingredients to make pasta sufficient to serve a very large serving to two people or smaller servings to four. If the dough seems to sticky, add more flour. If it seems too dry to work sprinkle a few drops of water on it. For a lighter pasta use 1 egg and add enough cold water to make a non-sticky dough. For a heavier pasta use two whole eggs and add a bit more flour.
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tbsp. oil (preferably non-virgin olive oil, but corn, vegetable or canola will work fine)
1 tsp. salt
a few drops of cold water if needed to form a proper dough
Shape flour into a pile on a clean working surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add egg, egg white, oil and salt beaten together. Work liquid into flour with fingers or a fork a little at a time until all flour is moistened. Add some cold water if more liquid is needed to form a workable dough. When mixed into a dough knead for at least ten minutes or until your arms are ready to fall off. Dough should be workable but not sticky. Let rest covered for 15 minutes and then roll to desired shape. For linguine roll out to as thin as feasible and slice into 1/8-inch wide strips. I usually do this with a Chinese cleaver using a rocking motion but a large knife used the same way will also work. Be careful not to let the cut pasta get stuck together or you will have to repeat the shaping process. Dusting with a little cornstarch or flour can help avoid sticking before the pasta gets to the pot. If you want a round pasta such as spaghetti you will need to get a pasta machine that extrudes the dough through a die. I actually prefer flat pastas most of the time. Many cookbooks say you should let the shapped pasta dry on a towel over a chair or some similar place. I see little that is achieved by this and in the arid southwest it usually dries so fast it becomes brittle broken strands almost immediately, so I cook it immediately. To cook toss into boiling salted water. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dry commercial pasta which has to reabsorb water. Very thin and narrow fresh pastas are cooked almost immediately after being dumped in boiling water and certainly shortly after the water returns to a boil. Even thick and heavy fettucine is usually done in two minutes or so if you use fresh pasta (it can take 10 minutes or so to cook commercial fettucine).
Above recipes ©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All rights reserved.
All original material contained on this page not otherwise copyrighted is ©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All rights reserved.
Updated December 3, 2001