Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Pico de Gallo
Stuffed Portobellos Make Great Side Dishes
Aug 28, 2009
During the summer months, creative grill chefs look for ways to use their skills for side dishes and appetizers to supplement the perfectly grilled steak or rotisserie chicken. For appetizers or a side dish, the portobello mushroom makes an excellent foundation when coupled with a filling or stuffing.
The Portobello Mushroom
Portobello mushrooms are also marketed as portabella mushrooms. The portobello is a larger version of the crimini mushroom that has grown beyond the diameter of 4 to 6 inches. Whatever the backyard chef calls it, the mushroom works well on the grill. Unlike the smaller bulk white and Italian brown mushrooms, the portobello presents a larger diameter and relatively flatter surface to which fillings can be added.
Preparing the Portobello
Preheat the grill to medium temperature, around 400 degrees or a bit hotter. In preparing smaller mushrooms for stuffing, the recipe often calls for the stems to be chopped and added to the stuffing mixture. With portobellos, the stem is typically removed and discarded. A quick twist and most stems will snap right off the mushroom cap. Then, use a spoon to remove the gills using the edge of a spoon. Don’t use water to wash the mushrooms, but a light dusting with a towel can remove anything that is not part of the mushroom. Brush a coat of cooking oil with a higher smoke point, such as canola or safflower oil, on both sides of the cap.
Ingredients
- Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
- Pico de gallo salsa
- Feta cheese, crumbled
Grilling the Portobello Mushroom
- Grill the mushroom, cap side up, over medium heat for four to five minutes. Keep in mind that the longer the mushroom is over the flame, the meatier the texture will be.
- Turn the mushroom over, and cook for an additional three or four minutes.
- Once the mushroom is turned over, the chef can decide whether to introduce the stuffing mixture or wait until the mushrooms are removed from the grill. In the recipe presented here, the filling is added when the mushroom is turned over. This way, the filling heats as the mushroom does.
- Grill for another three to four minutes before removing from the fire and serving.
Notes for Preparing Pico de Gallo Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
The backyard cook may prepare or purchase pico de gallo salsa in advance. The flavor of pico de gallo salsa often improves if it has had a chance to rest and marinate in the juice of a lime. As described above, grill the mushroom, cap side up for about four minutes. Then, turn over the mushroom cap and fill it with pico de gallo. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of crumbled feta cheese on top of the pico de gallo. The tang of cilantro and onion combined with the heat of the jalapenos in the salsa mixes well with the texture of the cheese. Close the lid and finish grilling another three or four minutes. Once the mushroom is warm all the way through, remove it from the grill and serve it cap side down. Because this stuffed mushroom is relatively large, it can be cut into fourths or sixths and served with chips or on a cracker. It also makes an excellent side dish to complement perfectly grilled steaks.
Some stuffed mushroom recipes call for the mushroom to be removed from the grill, fully cooked, before the filling is introduced. Chef Bobby Flay’s (2008) recipe for stuffed portobellos follows this approach when the mushroom is filled with a mixture that has already been cooked. However, pico de gallo can be added during the final minutes of grilling, as described above, or it can be added after the mushroom is removed from the grill. A cold or warm filling is up to the preferences of the chef.
For further reading:
Stuffed Mushrooms on the Outdoor Barbecue
References
Flay, B. Bobby Flay’s Grill It! New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2008.
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