Today I’m going to show you how to grill Portobello mushrooms. If you are going to grill mushrooms, Portobello are amazing. It is such a meaty mushroom, it is a lot like a steak; this is why Portobello mushroom burgers are really popular. Another nice thing about them is that they easily absorb marinades and the smoke flavor from the grill. They don’t have as much water content either, so they will hold up against the heat of the grill.
Portobello mushrooms are quick and easy to grill, the hardest part of making them is deciding how to marinade them. There are a ton of different things you can use to season or marinade your mushrooms with, such as prosciutto, chorizo, and other sausages to olives, almonds, lemon, and garlic. The list can go on and on. What I’m going to use today is garlic, Parmesan, and pine nuts along with some fresh herbs. Feel free to try this one out or come up with your own unique marinade.
Here is what you will need for Grilled Portobello Mushrooms:
4 large Portobello Mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
1 oz Parmesan cheese, cut into slivers
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
12 fresh basil leaves, slivered
If they haven’t been already, trim the stems off the mushrooms with a paring knife. Use a moist paper towel and wipe the caps clean. Using something sharp and small like a chopstick or skewer, make a bunch of holes in the gill side of the caps about ½ inches apart. You will want to insert the garlic, pine nuts, rosemary leaves, and cheese into these holes.
Using a mixing bowl, combine a ½ cup of the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Using a whisk, like this one, mix it together until the salt is dissolved. Then whisk in the olive oil and slivered basil. Pour some of this mixture into the bottom of a baking dish, then place the Portobello mushrooms in it gill side up. Move the mushrooms around so the bottoms get coated with the marinade. Spoon the rest of the marinade over the mushrooms, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over high heat. Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and place them gill side down on the grill. Pour the remaining marinade from the baking dish into a small mixing bowl, mix in the remaining 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Set this aside.
Grill the caps gill side down for about 3 minutes, then flip them up using long tongs like these and spoon in the reserved marinade. Continue to grill them for about another 4 to 6 minutes until they are browned and very tender. Once done transfer them to plates and serve immediately.
This is how to grill Portobello mushrooms that turn out great. Experiment with different seasoning and marinades to get a truly unique flavor.
image courtesy of ruthanddave/flickr