Looking for a substitute for mushrooms in a sauce

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

taxlady

Chef Extraordinaire
Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
32,435
Location
near Montreal, Quebec
I have a Danish recipe that I would like to try. It's an oven baked fish dish that calls for a sauce that has mushrooms. I love mushrooms; DH, not so much. If I put this quantity of 'shrooms in a sauce, I know he will hate it. So, what would you recommend. Here's the ingredient list:

200 grams of onion, peeled weight
1 dl. White wine, dry
2 dl.Whipping cream
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp. Oil, sunflower/grape seed
250 grams of mushrooms, cleaned weight

There is a note that any kind of mushrooms can be used.
 
If I were in your place, taxi, I would make that recipe exactly as written, divide the fish into two servings, and sauce just one pan/baking dish. I would top Stirling's portion with buttered bread crumbs or something else that he likes. Not much extra work in the prep...and make him wash his own dirty dishes. ;)
 
I subbed black garlic for mushrooms in the mushroom bread pudding we make because of an allergy. It wasn't as good as with the mushrooms but was still very tasty. Black garlic doesn't have a strong taste but does have the umami factor. I don't think I would sub on a 1 for 1 ratio but maybe sub for half the mushrooms and keep the other half as mushrooms.
 
I subbed black garlic for mushrooms in the mushroom bread pudding we make because of an allergy. It wasn't as good as with the mushrooms but was still very tasty. Black garlic doesn't have a strong taste but does have the umami factor. I don't think I would sub on a 1 for 1 ratio but maybe sub for half the mushrooms and keep the other half as mushrooms.

I like that idea. I happen to have some black garlic. We tasted it and were underwhelmed. It's just been sitting in the fridge.
 
If I were in your place, taxi, I would make that recipe exactly as written, divide the fish into two servings, and sauce just one pan/baking dish. I would top Stirling's portion with buttered bread crumbs or something else that he likes. Not much extra work in the prep...and make him wash his own dirty dishes. ;)

I agree with this. If you change the recipe, you won't get the intended flavor.

Does he like picatta? A simple lemon, butter, caper sauce is quick, easy, and pairs well with pretty much all fish. Plus, you won't sacrifice the recipe and end up with a sauce that's not the original.
 
If I were in your place, taxi, I would make that recipe exactly as written, divide the fish into two servings, and sauce just one pan/baking dish. I would top Stirling's portion with buttered bread crumbs or something else that he likes. Not much extra work in the prep...and make him wash his own dirty dishes. ;)

Not quite. We haven't been impressed with baked fish with just buttered bread crumbs. What I might do is make it on a night when he is out with friends. Then, if I think it's good enough, I'll worry about making it Stirling friendly. I have to ask him if he dislikes the texture. I know that some mushroom in a dish is okay with him. He also mentioned that just about every kind of mushroom he has tasted has a specific "mushroom flavour" that he dislikes.
 
I agree with this. If you change the recipe, you won't get the intended flavor.

Does he like picatta? A simple lemon, butter, caper sauce is quick, easy, and pairs well with pretty much all fish. Plus, you won't sacrifice the recipe and end up with a sauce that's not the original.

That might be worth a shot. He certainly enjoys chicken piccata.

Instead of having two separate pans to deal with, I can use foil and make a small wall between them.
 
I realize this necessitates two pans but you can do up onions, do the mushrooms in a different pan, maybe only half of them, finish your sauce in with the onions, when sauce is done divide in half and add to the mushroom pan.

You could maybe just add one or two buried into the sauce for Stirling. I think by not adding the muchrooms the flavour changes too much.

Or just use a very large slotted spoon to remove most of the mushrooms from his serving. Flavours there but not the mouth feel of the shroom. Depends on just how/why he dislikes them. Texture more than taste? Taste only when actually biting into one?
 
And now, I have looked at the recipe again, more carefully this time. The sauce isn't for the fish. It's for the penne that is the side dish. Oh well, I had been hoping for a recipe for fish baked in a sauce, which was what the title of the recipe implied.
 
Last edited:
There are many recipes that pop up with fish baked in sauce. Here's one from Tin Eats, one of my favourite food bloggers.

baked fish with lemon cream sauce

it's yummy - I've made it.

I wasn't looking for a recipe for fish baked in sauce. It was in a weekly email I get from a Danish recipe site. It appealed, while I was misunderstanding.

On the other hand, that recipe looks really good. Thanks for sharing it. I have saved it to CMT. I'm pleased to read that you have tried it and liked it.
 
If using a flakey, mild fish, like cod, or haddock, in an oven safe pan, sear the fish on both sides with brown butter, seasoned lightly with lemon pepper and salt. Make your mushroom sauce and pour over your portion. Top with pasta, and bake for 15 minutes. When making the sauce, temove half.before adding mushrooms. Place Stirling's fish portion in an oven safe pan. Add sliced eggplant, and grated Parmagiana Regiano to his sauce, and pour over his fish. Top with half of the pasta. Cover with lid, or foil. Bake for 20 minutes to cook the eggplant. That should give you both something tasty, without a lot of extra work.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
If you don't want to use mushrooms in the sauce, you could consider substituting them with another vegetable. Some options could be asparagus, bell peppers, celery, or zucchini. You could also use a combination of any of these vegetables. You could also try substituting the mushrooms with a meat such as chicken or bacon. Whatever you choose to use, just make sure to adjust the cooking time and the seasonings accordingly.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom