
After I interviewed Joseph Brennan of Canadian FunGuy, I ordered a selection dried foraged mushrooms and created this recipe for Foraged Mushroom Cream Sauce. Joseph has mentioned that the classic of mushrooms in a cream sauce was his favourite way to enjoy foraged mushrooms. When my order arrived, I surveyed my kitchen and pantry and started to play.
I had some frozen lingcod in the freezer. I thawed the fish and threw some rice in the rice cooker. Then, I found some thyme sprigs, lemon, shallots, whipping cream and a little dry sherry in the fridge. Classic flavours lead to a classic dish and this one is a new favourite for my family. I hope it will be for you and yours too.
Tip: If you pour boiling hot water over the dried mushrooms it only takes about 20 – 30 minutes to reconstitute them.
Note: This is NOT a sponsored post. I love developing recipes and supporting Food Artisans of Alberta.
PrintForaged Mushroom Cream Sauce

This Foraged Mushroom Cream Sauce is a classic. Here, I’ve used it to poach a couple of mild white fish fillets. But, it could easily stand up to a bison or beef steak. It’s got depth of flavour from the earthy umami bomb mushrooms, the sherry and of course, the cream.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: saute
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
1 cup dried chanterelles, morels or mixture of foraged mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, diced
2 Tablespoons dry sherry
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon chopped fresh or dried chives (divided half and half)
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
2 – 4 ounce white fish fillets (haddock, cod, ling cod), washed and dried
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of 1 lemon
Few sprigs of thyme (if available)
Instructions
- Place the dried mushrooms in a large measuring cup and pour boiling water over to cover. Let soak for at least 20 to 30 minutes, then strain through a sieve and save the mushroom water in a small saucepan. Simmer the mushroom water on medium heat until reduced to a ¼ cup. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the shallots and cook until translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms (I usually slice them a bit), sherry and salt and cook until almost dry.
- Stir in the chives, thyme, lemon juice and cream and then make a nest in the middle to place the 2 fish fillets. Cover with a lid and poach for 5 minutes per inch of thickness in the fish.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper seasoning to taste.
- Plate the fish over a bed of rice and top with the mushrooms mixture.
- Enjoy garnished with the rest of the chives, the lemon zest and a sprig of thyme.
Keywords: Foraged Mushroom Cream Sauce