Veiled Oyster Fajitas Recipe

One year ago today we harvested a nice bounty of these mushrooms and made some veiled oyster fajitas 😋!

The "Veiled Oyster," latin name Pleurotus dryinus, is a beautiful oyster mushroom that typically fruits in larger sizes than other oyster mushrooms. If you can snag them when they're young they're nice and tender with great flavor!

These mushrooms are saprophytic meaning they feed on the dead wood of broadleaf trees. You can find Veiled Oysters from late Spring through Summer, sometimes even into Fall season depending on your region. The large fruiting we found for our fajitas was in Hillsborough, NC on a dead oak tree stump.

You may also notice the veil remnants that tend to appear on the margin of the caps of these mushrooms, hence the common name "Veiled Oyster".

Another key feature to notice on this species is that the gills are sub-decurrent to decurrent, meaning they tend to run down the stipe instead of stopping where the cap meets the base (see gallery above). This fungus is edible when young and commonly grows gregariously or in small clusters.

---

The Recipe

Total Time: 25 min

Prep Time: 10 min

What You'll Need:

• Veiled Oysters (any oyster mushroom works, as much as preferred)

• Tortillas

• 1 Yellow Onion - sliced

• 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper - sliced

• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper - sliced

• 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

• 1 to 2 Cloves of Garlic - minced

• 2 tbsp Butter

• 1 tsp Salt (we love Peg's Salt)

• Cayenne Pepper

• Red Pepper Flakes

• Taco Seasoning

• Sriracha or Taco Sauce - optional

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. First clean your mushrooms by wiping with a damp cloth or rinsing if necessary

2. Slice your mushrooms and discard any tough sections i.e. stems or more mature sections that feel firm

3. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the mushrooms on medium heat *NOTE: if you rinsed your mushrooms or they are wet for any reason be sure to dry sauté to release moisture before adding any fat*

4. Add butter, salt, and minced garlic to the pan while stirring the mushrooms to cook about 10 minutes or until they start to brown

5. In a separate sauce pan, start by sautéing the onion and another clove of minced garlic in butter on medium heat

6. Once the onion has cooked for about 5 minutes add the red and orange bell pepper slices to the pan to sauté

7. While stirring add a dash of cayenne, red pepper flakes, and taco seasoning while you continue to mix it all together

8. Once everything is cooked, join the mushrooms with the veggies and use that sauce pan to heat the tortillas one by one, flipping them to make sure each side is hot (no butter needed for this simple step)

9. Once the tortillas are nice and warm, assemble your fajitas and don't forget the shredded cheese!

10. Add any sauces (we love Sriracha and Valentina 😉) and enjoy!

---

#fungi #mushroom #foraging #forage #howto #learnto #diy #recipes #vegan #vegetarian #protein #outdoors #outdooreducation #howtoforage