Lion's Mane recipe
Lion's Mane Burger
The mushroom steak that presses its own way to a meaty bite
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 2 burgers
- Difficulty
- Easy
Pressing is what turns Lion’s Mane into a "steak". A dry pan and a weight on top force the water out and compact the fibres, and what comes back is dense, springy and genuinely meaty — nothing like the sponge that goes in.
No meat, no processed substitute, no long list of ingredients. Just the mushroom, butter, garlic and a bun.
Ingredients
For the mushroom steaks
For the lemon mayo
To build
You will need
- Heavy frying pan
- A second heavy pan or a plate and a tin, for pressing
- Damp cloth or kitchen paper
Method
Tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
Wipe 300g fresh Lion's Mane mushroom clean with a damp cloth — do not rinse it, as it soaks up water like a sponge.
Slice into thick slabs, around 2cm each. Aim for two good slabs per burger.
Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat with no oil. Lay the slabs in and press down firmly with a second heavy pan, or a plate weighed down with a tin.
Cook for 10 minutes, flip, then press again for another 5. This drives out the moisture and compacts the fibres — it is what gives you the meaty bite.
They should shrink noticeably and start to look golden.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 30g butter, 2 garlic cloves and 1 tsp smoked paprika to the pan.
Baste the slabs in the foaming butter for 2 minutes, spooning it over as they crisp at the edges.
Splash in 1 tbsp soy sauce and let it bubble away, then season with ½ tsp salt and ⅓ tsp black pepper.
Mix 3 tbsp mayonnaise with the zest of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt.
Toast 2 burger buns cut-side down in the same pan for a minute to pick up the mushroom butter.
Spread the lemon mayo on both bun halves.
Stack 2 little gem lettuce leaves, then the mushroom slabs, then 4 gherkin slices.
Press the lid on and eat straight away, while the edges are still crisp.
Cook's notes
- Pressing is the step you cannot skip. It is what forces the water out and turns a spongy texture into something dense and meaty — without it the mushroom just shrivels in the pan.
- Never rinse Lion's Mane under the tap: it absorbs water like a sponge. Wipe it clean with a damp cloth or kitchen paper instead.
- Cook mushrooms thoroughly before eating. Never eat a home-grown mushroom raw.
Variations
- Lay a slice of cheese over the slabs for the last 30 seconds and cover the pan to melt it.
- Swap the smoked paprika for Cajun or jerk seasoning.
- Chipotle sauce works very well in place of, or alongside, the lemon mayo.
- To make it vegan, use olive oil or a vegan butter in place of the butter, and a vegan mayonnaise.
Grow the Lion's Mane for this recipe
Lion's Mane is hard to find in the shops and expensive when you do. A grow kit sits on the kitchen counter and produces its own harvest in a couple of weeks — about as fresh as an ingredient gets.