Meze & olive-oil dishesMains Turkish
Garlic butter mushrooms
Button mushrooms browned in a hot pan, then glazed with butter, garlic, fresh thyme and a splash of stock. A glossy 25-minute side or meze.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 3
- Difficulty
- Easy
How do you make garlic butter mushrooms? Brown the mushrooms in a wide pan with a little oil without stirring at first, then lower the heat, add the butter and garlic and finish with a splash of stock and thyme until glossy. Add the garlic too early and it burns before the mushrooms brown.
Serve them alongside steak, chicken or rice, on toast as a meze, or tossed through pasta. For a Turkish pot-style sauté with tomato and peppers, see our mushroom sauté recipe.
Ingredients
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Mushrooms
Method
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-
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer and leave untouched for 2 minutes.
~3 min -
Turn the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 more minutes until the liquid has gone and both sides are golden.
~6 min -
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining butter, the onion and garlic and stir for 2 minutes until fragrant, without letting the garlic brown.
~2 min -
Pour in the stock, add the thyme and season. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce reduces to a glossy coating, then scatter with parsley and serve hot.
~4 min
Enjoy!
The mushroom in this recipe
Mushroom swaps
- Chestnut / cremini mushroom Agaricus bisporusReleases less water and has a stronger flavour.
Shiitake Lentinula edodesDiscard the tough stalks; it gives a deeper, slightly smoky flavour.
Tips
- If your pan is small, brown the mushrooms in two batches; overlapping mushrooms steam.
- No stock? Hot water and a pinch of salt work; use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
- A squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of cream at the end changes the character of the sauce.
Storage
Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat briefly in a pan with a splash of water or a knob of butter; long reheating makes them rubbery.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get mushrooms golden in butter?
Spread them in a single layer in a wide pan and leave them untouched for the first 2 minutes. Salting at the end and not crowding the pan both help.
When should I add the butter?
Use a little butter with olive oil at the start, as the oil stops the butter burning. Add the rest with the garlic at the end.
When does the garlic go in?
After the mushrooms have browned and the heat is lowered. Garlic added early burns and turns bitter.
How is this different from Turkish mushroom sauté?
This version has no tomato or tomato paste; it's a simple pan of mushrooms glazed with butter, garlic and thyme. Mushroom sauté is cooked with peppers, tomato and paste.
What do garlic butter mushrooms go with?
Steak, grilled chicken, rice pilaf or mashed potatoes, on toast as a meze, or stirred through pasta.
Which mushrooms can I use?
Button mushrooms are most common. Chestnut mushrooms have more flavour and shiitake is richer; cooking times are almost the same.
Adapted from: yemek.com — Sarımsaklı Mantar
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Kitchen guides
Before you cook: clean, store, dry
How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.
How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.
How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.