ganbara's basque wild mushrooms

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In the coastal city of San Sebastian located in Spanish Basque country, you’ll find scores of bars serving pintxos, which are essentially the basque take on tapas. The counters of each bar is filled to the brim with plates of incredible small bites, often served on bread, along with a vast selection of options you can order from the kitchen. It is truly one of my favorite places in the world, and I could spend everyday hopping between bars filling up on pintxos, washed down with some txakoli, a local lightly sparkling wine poured from way up high.

Ganbara is an essential stop on a pintxos crawl in the heart of San Sebastian, so you’ve got to be assertive to get up front and get your order in amongst the crowded bar. You may be swayed by the mouthwatering spread across the bar (and if they have the carb tartlettes, definitely get yourself a few of those), but you’d be remiss to not order a plate of their seared wild mushrooms, or hongos a la plancha. Anthony Bourdain called it one of his favorite dishes, and I couldn’t agree more. The selection of mushrooms vary depending on the season, but they’re always seared in a garlic olive oil before topped with a fresh egg yolk and a light sprinkle of truffle salt. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can add a piece of seared foie gras on the side as well. It’s a simple dish that highlights the earthy flavors of the wild mushrooms (that you probably paid a pretty penny for) brought together with the creaminess of the egg yolk.

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A few tips for success:

  • It can be hard to find wild mushrooms, but feel free to use any combination that you can locate. I used chanterelles (pricy but delicious) and king oyster mushrooms. If you live near one, Eataly is a great place to locate wild mushrooms.

  • Cook each mushroom type separately as different varietals cook at different rates.

  • Don’t crowd the pan - we want to get a nice sear on these mushrooms without overcooking.

  • Make sure to use an egg yolk from the highest quality egg you can find.

  • The recipe below is for a pintxo-sized portion, but can be easily doubled.

Ganbara’s Basque Seared Wild Mushrooms

makes an appetizer for 2

ingredients

1/2 pound mix of wild mushrooms (e.g. chanterelles)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup high quality olive oil

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

finishing salt (truffle or flaky salt), optional

1 egg yolk (high quality), optional

steps

Infuse the olive oil: Mix together the minced garlic with the olive oil and let it sit for 30 min.

Prepare the mushrooms: Because we are using wild mushrooms, be sure to clean the mushrooms with a wet cloth thoroughly. Slice mushrooms into bite sized pieces, not too small, and keep each type separate as we will be cooking them separately.

Sear the mushrooms: In a medium hot pan, add the olive oil only along with one type of mushroom at a time if you’re using a mix. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don’t move the mushrooms around the pan too much to get a nice sear. Once you have a nice color on them, throw in some of the minced garlic once the mushrooms are almost done for some extra flavor. Don’t add it too early or the garlic may burn. Finish with parsley once the mushrooms are done.

Plating: Plate the mushrooms by grouping the mushrooms by type. In the middle, add an egg yolk before sprinkling with some either flaky or truffle salt for an extra layer of earthy flavor. Serve immediately, and mop up all the extra yolk and juices with some bread.