The grilled portobello mushroom is ubiquitous. It’s a standard vegetarian burger substitute on many menus. I recently read a food magazine (Bon Appetit, perhaps?) in which an author begged to an end to the ever present portobello. I myself have had many grilled portobellos, and I’ve never found them too compelling. I hardly ever want to order such a thing in a restaurant, and if I’m at a barbecue, well, give me a burger. But for some reason this week, the idea for this portobello and corn salad dinner popped into my head and wouldn’t let go. I wanted the seemingly most overplayed thing you can put on a grill.
And these babies delivered. They were perhaps the best grilled portobellos I’ve ever had. They were super fresh: we bought them at the farmers’ market the day before, and the edges were still tightly curled in, the gills perfect and velvet-y. Drizzled with a bit of verjus vinaigrette, left to sit and absorb the flavors, and grilled for a few minutes on each side, these were meaty and unctuous. Yes, unctuous. They were a great match for the crunch of the corn. And paired with simply dressed greens, they made a great light weeknight dinner.
The corn salad is almost a salsa, really. If you wanted to up the fiber and protein, you could add some black beans here and they wouldn’t be out of place. Assembling this situation on the grill was kind of messy, and I lost a few corn kernels to the grill, but if you’re careful it’s not too bad. Look for portobellos that aren’t too flat, so they can make a kind of cup to hold the salad. The best sign of freshness if if the edges are still curled in.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Corn and Tomato Salad
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of basic vinaigrette
- 3 small ears of corn
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno
- 1/2 a shallot
- juice from 1 lime
- salt to taste
- small handful of cilantro
- cotija cheese
Remove the stems from the portobellos and place them on a baking sheet, gill side up. Drizzle each with about a tablespoon of vinaigrette, and set them aside.
Shuck the corn and cut the kernels off using a sharp knife. Place the kernels into a bowl. Stem and seed the tomatoes: My new favorite method is to slice the top off and use my fingers to pull the seeds and slimy seed juice out of each little tomato chamber. Chop the seeded tomatoes and add to the bowl with the corn. Seed and dice the jalapeno and add to the bowl. Chop the shallot, and into the bowl it goes. Drizzle the whole shebang with lime juice and taste. Add just enough salt to make the flavors pop (a large pinch should do it). Then set the salad aside.
Heat your grill: Our gas grill doesn’t have a particularly high flame, so I put it all the way to high, and it’s probably about medium-high on a bigger grill. Once it’s nice and hot, add the portobellos to the grill, gill side down. Some of the oil might drip out and flare up; this is ok. Close the grill and let the mushrooms cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Flip them over, and carefully spoon some of the corn salad into each mushroom. Close the grill again and continue to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. Finally, sprinkle on just a bit of cotija, and cook for another minute, just to warm it through. Remove the mushrooms from the grill and serve hot.
We’re heading to New York tonight for a long weekend of family celebration (wedding! yay Crimson and Trevor!). I’m excited, but sad to be separated from my kitchen. We’ve only just been re-united. If anyone has any good dining recommendations in the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, it might make up for the separation.