adobo mushroom carnitas tacos

You’ll notice this week that I have no idea what the fuq to call any of my recipes.

So, I’m going with the closest thing I can conjure from my culinary vocabulary. I pretty much never claim any of my riffs are authentic, they’re just authentic knockoffs, and still valuable in the scope of home cooking.

When I think of adobo sauce, I think of the thick stuff coating canned chipotle peppers. The general rule of thumb with the traditional adobo is an asston of chili powder, various aromatics like cumin and allspice, a touch of sugar, olive oil, and tomatoes. Everything is blended up, then boiled down into the consistency of BBQ sauce. Some people like to can large quantities for various uses, while some recipes are more friendly to folks who just want one or two jars.

My fragrant red sauce appeared last week in my shrimp skewers (so hey, you may have some left over!), and I realized that it does kind of resemble adobo sauce. Leastwise, adobo is the closest flavor companion to my pepper-heavy marinade. Perhaps al pastor, too. Al adobo? However you name it or whether you get angry at me for putting an inaccurate title upon a plate of mushroom tacos, I at least invite you to give the tasty dish a chance, and let it be what it is to you.

To all, it should be dubbed Very Yummy, because it is.

We introduce oyster mushrooms into our cooking arsenal in this recipe – my first time working with these delightful and weird little dudes. Toss the shrooms in this fragrant sauce and cook until crisped on the edges, then pile into warm tortillas with lots of avocado crema and your favorite standby taco garnishes. Of course, because it’s still summer and still peach season, we stir a chopped peach into the skillet for a little sweetness to contrast the spunky mushrooms.

Aaaaand, you’ve got tacos in around 35 minutes. As summer cooking should be, this recipe is simple, wholesome, and light, but gets those tastebuds a-dancin’. I dig em. So will you.

Gettin’ Saucy

First step is soften up some dried California chiles and arbol chiles in hot water. You can find these guys down the international aisles of most stores.

Then, pull off the stems, squeeze out the seeds, and blend with some chipotle chiles, enchilada sauce, garlic, cider vinegar, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, and kosher salt. You’ll get a lovely, rich scarlet sauce. I usually don’t need to add more salt, but if your enchilada sauce is on the milder side, you may need to sprinkle in a touch.

You won’t use all of the sauce in this recipe, but thankfully, it keeps really well in the fridge for about a week or so. You can use them for the aforementioned grilled shrimp, or as a rub for any sort of protein.

The World is Your Oyster (Mushroom)

Pick up a good bundle of oyster mushrooms at the grocery store. I bought the standard dudes, which come in goofy-looking clusters that resemble several polydactyl fungi glued together, but you can also use king oysters, which look like trumpets (in fact, I think they are called trumpet mushrooms by some). I get my oyster mushrooms at a bougie Publix, but Whole Foods and sometimes Sprouts have them, too.

Tear the mushrooms into carnitas-esque strips and throw them into a bowl. Douse with the abodo-ish sauce and let them sit about 10 minutes.

Heat some oil in a skillet – get it nice and hot – and cook the mushrooms up in batches. I usually do 2-3 rounds of cooking, adding a little more oil between each to remoisten the pan, to give them a good char instead of overcrowding and causing a steam effect. The steaming will cause them to soften too much.

For each batch, saute about 3 minutes undisturbed, then stir and finish for another couple minutes. When everything is cooked up, dump the shrooms back into the pan along with a chopped peach. You can also use a mango or pineapple here if you prefer, I just love the bit of sweet a fruit addition gives to the smoky, spicy dish. Stir the skillet around for a couple minutes to soften the peach/other fruit.

Taco ‘Bout A Good Dinner

Usually, I like to char up some yellow corn tortillas in a dry skillet while the mushrooms marinate. The process is quick and charred tortillas are superior. But, if you’re in a pinch, you can nuke them under some damp paper towels.

My last little bit of prep work comes with a batch of avocado crema. It’s basically layman’s guacamole. Blend up some avocados with yogurt, lime juice, and salt, for a tasty and cheap spread that adds quite a bit of oomph to any Mexican-style meal you might make.

Spread that crema in your tortillas, then pile on mushrooms, and finish with your favorite taco toppings. I usually do pickled red onions but I actually didn’t have any this time around (gasp), so I stuck with cilantro, plain Greek yogurt, and a squeeze of lime. If I have feta or cotija in my fridge, I’ll add that, too.

You can also store your mushrooms for up to around 3 days in the fridge if you have leftovers. They make a swell topper for taco bowls, with some rice and beans maybe, or even in a sandwich of sorts.

For a vegan-friendly version, use a vegan yogurt or vegan mayo in the avocado crema. Or, just omit the crema and slice up some avocados for each taco. Perfectly tasty alternative!

Final thought: if you really can’t find oyster mushrooms, you can use shiitake for this recipe, too. I wouldn’t necessarily go the baby bella route, but if you’re in a big ole pickle, the portobello caps, sliced up into strips, might work well and be a bit more budget-friendly. If you opt for that method, let me know!

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

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