Recipe

Smoky grilled lion’s mane mushroom

This recipe is part of our summer campaign «Real men grill plants» (2026).
Recipe by Thomas Glässing. Picture by Nora Dal Cero.

Preparation

1. The BBQ glaze: In a small pot, mix the passata, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and tamari. Add the spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, mustard powder, and cayenne). Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for about 10–15 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and has a syrupy consistency. Set the finished glaze aside.

2. Preparing the mushrooms: Carefully clean the lion’s mane mushrooms with a brush or soft cloth. Important: never wash them, as they will soak up water like a sponge and lose their texture. Trim the tough stem bases flat so the large mushrooms sit steadily on the grill later.

3. The pressing technique – the secret of the texture: To achieve a compact, meaty texture, the large mushrooms need to be pressed. Place them on a cutting board and lay a second heavy board or a heavy cast-iron pan on top, applying even pressure. The aim is to press the air out of the spongy structure so the mushrooms compress to about one-third of their original height. With large 250–300 g specimens, it is best to proceed gently and in stages so they do not break.

4. Grilling: Prepare the grill for medium to high direct heat (about 200 °C). Brush the pressed mushrooms generously on both sides with the heat-stable oil. Place them directly on the hot grate and put a heavy weight (for example a clean cast-iron pan or a special grill weight) on top to keep them flat while grilling. Due to their substantial size of 250–300 g each, grill them for about 5–7 minutes per side, until they have a deep brown crust with pronounced grill marks.

5. Glazing: Once the mushrooms are well browned and crispy on both sides, remove the weight. Reduce the grill to a lower, indirect heat zone. Generously brush the mushrooms on both sides with the prepared BBQ glaze and let them caramelise for a further 3–5 minutes in the indirect area of the grill. Keep an eye on them so the sugary sauce does not burn.

6. The grilled potatoes: Cut the pre-cooked potatoes in half and toss them with olive oil and sea salt. Fry them in a baking dish, on a griddle (plancha) or in a cast-iron pan until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with thyme.

7. Plating and serving: Remove the finished, substantial lion’s mane steaks from the grill and let them rest briefly (about 2–3 minutes) before serving so the flavours can settle. Serve with the potatoes, a slice of lemon and a sauce of your choice (e.g. pepper sauce from the Plant Cut recipe).

Additional information:

• Important pro tip for salting: Only season the mushrooms now, after they have been seared and have taken on colour, with the coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you salt them earlier, they will release water and steam rather than grill.
• This smoky mushroom-steak also pairs beautifully with grilled corn on the cob, a fresh and crunchy coleslaw with a light vinegar and oil dressing, and rustic oven-baked sweet potato wedges. The natural sweetness of the corn and sweet potatoes creates a wonderful contrast to the smoky BBQ notes of the mushroom.


Use organic ingredients. Cooking with love – you can really taste the difference!
All information is provided without guarantee.


This recipe from Thomas Glässing was inserted by Swissveg / 2026-05-29 09:06:31

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Die Daten stammen aus der Datenbank der Europäischen Vegetarier Union in Kooperation mit Swissveg.