Portobello mushroom fries

The Beach Hut portabello mushroom fries have gained a cult following since they first appeared on The Living Space menu. Perfect for dunking with homemade aioli. Find the recipe below.

Ingredients

Portabello mushroom fries
Serves two

• 400g Portobello mushrooms
• 100g flour
• 20g finely chopped sage
• 2 whole eggs
• 100g breadcrumbs (you can make your own from leftover stale bread, but shop-bought panko breadcrumbs work well too)
• Parmesan cheese
• A bottle of vegetable oil

Method

1. Slice the mushrooms into 1-inch chips.
2. Blend the flour and sage together in a bowl.
3. Coat the mushrooms with the blended flour first, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
4. Deep fry in hot vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes oil until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
5. Season with salt and freshly grated parmesan while hot.

Aioli
Ingredients

Serves two

• 3 garlic cloves
• Salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 150ml olive oil
• Juice of ½ a lemon

Method

1. Finely chop, grate or press the three garlic cloves.
2. Crush the garlic on a chopping board using the flat of your knife. Pound together with the salt using a pestle and mortar – if you have one it makes things a little easier – to make an even paste.
3. Stir in the egg yolk and add the olive oil slowly at first, then increase it to a thin stream and stir constantly until a thick paste is formed (use a hand whisk to stir in the oil if you don’t have a pestle and mortar).
4. Add the lemon juice and season to taste.

Top tip!
They’re hard to resist, but do allow the fires to cool off a little before eating them – they can get piping hot. Dunk away!