Shrimp Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms

I realize that a lot of people don't like mushrooms.... at least that's what I found out during vacation. We had house-full of little boys and teenaged boys and every single one of them said they didn't like mushrooms so they wouldn't eat these delicious stuffed mushrooms... Lucky for me and all the other adults, we had more to eat!

So these are by far my favorite stuffed mushrooms ever! I love crab stuffed mushrooms but the idea of stuffing shrimp in shitake mushrooms intrigued me. My mother-in-law, Sue decided to make these for New Year's Eve and I just fell in love with these. All my favorite ingredients are in them - shrimp, water chestnut, ginger, garlic, etc... They were perfect. Although it was a little awkward to kiss my husband at midnight because my breath smelled like ginger and garlic... but he didn't mind. :) Sue said that she'd add a little bit of bread crumbs on top of each mushrooms and I think that would be really good, too.

Shrimp Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms

Adapted from "Las Vegas Food Adventure"

Printable Recipe

18 medium sized dry Chinese (shiitake) mushrooms
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cups boiling water

FILLING
¾   lb raw, shelled fresh shrimp
1 can water chestnuts drained and minced
2 finely minced green onion
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Chinese oyster sauce (or fish sauce)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cream (sweet) sherry or Chinese wine (or Sake)
½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
2 additional green onions very finely minced for garnish

To prepare the mushrooms: combine the water, sugar and soy sauce in and bring to a boil. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover with the boiling liquid making sure they are all submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour till soft. Drain the water and squeeze the mushrooms to remove the excess moisture, pat dry with paper towels. With the tip of a sharp knife remove the tough center stem without cutting all the way through the cap of the mushroom. Place on a plate while preparing the stuffing.

To prepare the stuffing: The stuffing can be prepared by hand or in a food processor. To prepare by hand coarsely mince the shrimp and combine  with the remaining minced and liquid ingredients. To prepare in a food processor place all of the filling ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Being careful not to over process, pulse several times just to get a coarse mixture. At this point mixture can be refrigerated for a few hours prior to serving.

Generously stuff each mushroom cap with the minced shrimp filling, flattening the tops and place on a broiler-safe baking pan. Preheat your broiler to medium high, place the stuffed mushrooms under the broiler and broil for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top and the shrimp filling is pink throughout. Garnish with finely minced green onions, if desired.

Sook the Cook