Fried Morels

The Midwestern spring classic: morels halved, dredged, and shallow-fried in butter or lard until crisp. In Michigan they are usually floured, and many families use crushed saltine crackers instead. This version follows Hank Shaw’s flour, egg and flour coating.

⚠ Morels are poisonous raw. They must be cooked through, at least 3 to 4 minutes a side here. Undercooked morels caused 51 illnesses and 2 deaths at a Montana restaurant in 2023. Slice every morel lengthwise first: a true morel is hollow from the tip of the cap to the base of the stem.

Untested: I have not cooked this one yet. It is here because the Mushrooms dive needed it, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 12 oz to 1 lb morels, big ones halved lengthwise
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• Lard, butter or oil, for frying

Directions

1. Key ingredients Black Pepper Bacon Grease
2. Slice and check. Halve each morel lengthwise. It should be one hollow chamber from the cap tip to the stem base, with the cap joined to the stem. Anything cottony or chambered inside is not a true morel.
3. Clean. Swish the morels in cool water to flush out grit and insects, lift them out, and dry them well on towels. Wet morels will not hold a coating.
4. Set up the dredge. Mix the flour with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Beat the eggs with the milk in a second bowl.
5. Coat twice. Dredge each morel in flour, then egg, then flour again.
6. Fry. Heat about 1/2 inch of fat to 325 to 350 °F. Fry in batches, without crowding, for at least 3 to 4 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on a rack and salt while hot.

Notes

Where this recipe came from Adapted from Hank Shaw’s “Fried Morels” at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (honest-food.net). The quantities and the 3 to 4 minutes a side at 325 to 350 °F are his. His reason for the timing: “morels must be fully cooked to be safe to eat.”

The saltine version Many Midwestern families replace the second flour dredge with finely crushed saltine crackers. It is a real regional practice, though it turns up in recipe comments rather than published recipes, so no authoritative version is given here.

Safety See the Mushrooms dive’s morels page for the 2023 Montana outbreak (CDC MMWR 73(10)) and how to tell true morels from false ones. Companion recipes: Creamy Morels on Toast, Dried Morel Butter.

About the photo The photo shows cleaned fresh morels before cooking. No open-licensed photograph of fried morels was found.