Beer Battered Mushrooms with Herbed Ranch

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

These Beer Battered Mushrooms with Herbed Ranch Dip are crispy on the outside, and insanely juicy on the inside…they’re in my top ten appetizers of all time! My husband and I have always lived near water, along one coast or the other.  And, at least along the East coast, summer means multiple visits to eating establishments that dot the shoreline, with words like Cap’n, Barnacle, Shanty, Shack or Hut somewhere in their name. When we were first married we used to go to Cap’n Franks. The Cap’n served up all the regular stuff like fried clams, shrimp, scallops and onion rings, but they also made amazing little baskets of fried mixed vegetables.  We loved them.  The small grease stained cardboard box came with onions, zucchini, eggplant, and these golden nuggets.  The mushrooms were the prizes inside every order; just biting down through the crunchy batter into the chewy juicy mushroom still puts me in a seaside mood. What you crave during the summer months is a very personal thing, and the taste carries along with it the happy relaxed memories of the season.  Cap’n Frank’s closed years ago, and since then we’ve moved away.  But luckily I’ve recently discovered that …

Ingredients

• fried mushrooms
• vegetable oil
• small button mushrooms, about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen
• 1 cup flour
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• beer
• herbed Ranch Dip
• 1 cup loosely packed mixed herbs (I used parsley, thyme, dill and basil)
• ¼ cup yogurt
• ¼ cup sour cream or creme fraiche
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• juice of lime (or lemon)
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Method

1. In a saucepan, add the oil to a depth of 3-4 inches. Heat on medium heat until the temperature reaches about 340-350F. A thermometer is a big help here.
2. Dust off the dirt from the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Trim the stems, leaving a little behind.
3. Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. Add enough beer to make a batter, not too thick, not too thin, about like pancake batter.
4. Drop the mushrooms in the batter, making sure to cover all surfaces, and then let the excess drip off a bit before dropping them into the hot oil. Fry several at a time so as not to crowd the pan, which can lower the temperature of the oil.
5. When the mushrooms are golden, about 2-3 minutes, remove them and drain on paper towels or newspaper.
6. To make the dip, finely mince the herbs either with a knife or in a small processor.
7. Process or mix with the yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, and lime juice.
8. Season with salt and pepper, and make sure to taste the dressing and adjust as necessary. Refrigerate until needed. Feel free to make this ahead of time, the flavors will mingle and improve with a few hours in the fridge.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island