HERICIUM IS A GENUS of fungi that includes edible favorites like the lion’s mane and bear’s head. Cooked hericium has a texture similar to crab meat as well as a hint of seafood taste. Faux crab cakes are a popular way to prepare this fungus for the table.

The main trick is to properly assess the water content of your hericium. If it’s dry and not waterlogged, you can tear it up into small pieces (like lump crab meat) and mix with the other ingredients as is. If, however, the fungus has a high water content (due to recent rain, etc.), you may need to gently sauté it first in a lightly greased non-stick pan to cook off some of that liquid before forming your patties. Typically you can judge the water content by squeezing a chunk of the fungus; if it readily sheds water like a wet sponge, definitely try to cook off some of this moisture first. A few days in the refrigerator will help dry it, too.

I made these hericium crab cakes with about a quarter of a bear’s head mushroom (Hericium abietis) that I found on a dead western hemlock in a Washington State old-growth forest. The cakes are served with sweet chili sauce, white rice, and Sichuan cucumber salad.

2 loose cups bear’s head fungus, torn into small pieces to imitate lump crab meat
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 heaping tbsp parsley (or cilantro), chopped
3 tbsp mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup panko or fine breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
butter

1. Sauté onion and red pepper together in butter. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium to large bowl combine the sautéed onions and red bell pepper with parsley, mayo, mustard, Worcester sauce, lemon juice and seasoning. Next stir in the fungus and egg, just enough to thoroughly mix. Now slowly add panko or breadcrumbs until the mixture is just wet enough to be formed into patties that will hold together while cooking, about a 1/4 cup. Set aside mixture for several minutes.
3. In a nonstick pan over medium heat, melt a pat of butter. Form patties and pan-fry until lightly browned on both sides. Serves 2