The raw mushroom salad with Grana and pine nuts is a quick and tasty dish that can be served as either an appetizer or a side dish. Light and delicious, this champignon mushroom salad is perfect for these days when rather warm temperatures still call for cold and no-cook dishes, but you can already feel autumn approaching. Moreover, the raw mushroom salad is very convenient when you have guests for dinner because it can be prepared quickly even a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge until just before serving.
To prepare the raw mushroom salad, I used champignon mushrooms, a variety available all year round; however, when in season, you can also prepare this raw mushroom salad using porcini mushrooms, after cleaning them very carefully. Any variety of mushrooms you wish to prepare in the salad must be, naturally, very fresh and free from “unwanted guests”. Once thinly sliced, the mushrooms are seasoned with an emulsion of oil, lemon, salt, and pepper and left to rest for a few minutes to soften. The addition of pine nuts and Grana flakes is optional but makes the raw mushroom salad more appetizing and flavorful.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
- Energy 161.38 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 4.37 (g) of which sugars 2.29 (g)
- Proteins 5.62 (g)
- Fat 14.98 (g) of which saturated 2.55 (g)of which unsaturated 4.55 (g)
- Fibers 1.29 (g)
- Sodium 136.71 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 117 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the raw mushroom salad with Grana and pine nuts
- 14 oz champignon mushrooms
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 2 tbsps lemon juice
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
- 0.7 oz Grana Padano DOP (in flakes)
- 1 bunch parsley
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife sharp
- 1 Salad bowl
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Glass
- 1 Fork
How to prepare raw mushroom carpaccio
To prepare the raw mushroom salad, start by cleaning the mushrooms: if using porcini follow this tutorial, while for champignons, simply remove the end part of the stem (where the soil is concentrated) and the skin covering the cap (1) and the stem.
If you prefer, you can simply brush them well, leaving the skin; I, since the mushrooms will be consumed raw, prefer to remove it. Rinse them very quickly under cold water, mainly to clean the dark part under the cap, dry them immediately and cut them into thin slices (2) using a sharp knife or a mandoline.
As you cut them, place them in a salad bowl. Then toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan previously heated on the stove (3). It will take about 30 seconds, so be careful as pine nuts burn easily.
In a glass, pour the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and quickly whisk them with a fork to emulsify (4). Finely chop the parsley and add it to the mushrooms, along with the pine nuts and the oil and lemon emulsion (5).
Gently mix the raw mushroom salad to season it evenly, then add some Grana cheese flakes (6). I recommend not overdoing the cheese, so as not to overpower the flavor of the mushrooms.
Mix thoroughly and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. If you do not consume the champignon mushroom carpaccio immediately, store it in the refrigerator.
Serve the raw mushroom salad with Grana and pine nuts as an appetizer or as a delicious side dish.
Notes
Notes
Storage
You can store the raw mushroom salad in the refrigerator for a few hours. If too much time passes, the mushrooms seasoned with oil and salt will tend to release water.
Which mushrooms can be consumed raw?
Besides champignons and porcini, another excellent variety to taste raw is Caesar’s mushrooms (Amanita caesarea), a rare and prized variety. If you have the chance to find them, always have them examined at a mycological inspection before consumption because they can easily be confused with poisonous species.
