Vegan Calamari

A few months ago I made the Vegan Oxtail recipe by Korenn’s Vegan World of Food and was very impressed by the texture of the oyster mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms are kind of an old card in the vegan world, they work excellent as scallops or pulled barbecue on sandwiches. I thought it would be fun to use their shreddy texture for vegan calamari, and I was not disappointed. The mushrooms take a little oceany flavor on during a bit of marinating time, and get battered in a simple flour mixture. Feel free to use a more advanced batter recipe if you prefer. You can usually find large oyster mushrooms at bigger grocers and international markets. If you can’t find large ones, smaller ones will work just as well, but the calamari rings will be smaller. 

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces king oyster mushrooms, about 3 large
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons miso paste
• 1/2 teaspoon algal oil or flax oil

Batter:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Blend together water, oil, miso, and algal oil. Pour over mushrooms and marinate in a bag or sealable container for 4-8 hours. 
2. Preheat over to 350°F. Roast mushrooms uncovered in a non stick or cast iron pan for 35-40 minutes, turning half way through.
3. Let mushrooms cool until they are able to be handled. Slice about 2 inches up from the bottom of each  mushrooms, then slice 1/4 inch circles all the way to the cap. Cut the bottom pieces into long quarters.
4. Use a small sharp knife to cut centers out of the circles, set aside or toss if you would like. Using a fork, gently shred the bottom half of each quartered section. 
5. Fill a bag or container with the batter ingredients. Mushrooms will be quite wet, so just toss them in the flour and shake to coat throughly. 
6. Add about 1/2 inch of oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, add breaded mushroom pieces. Turn after about 3-4 minutes, or when pieces start to brown. Drain on paper towels. 
7. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon and tarter sauce. 

Tags: appetizer, cruelty free, dairy free, dinner, easy, finger food, food, fried food, italian, meat alternative, meatless, mushroom, plant based recipe, plant-based, recipe, vegan, veganuary, vegetarian, vegetarian food, what vegans eat