Marinated Mushroom Antipasto Salad Recipe

Many people love plain vegetables on their own, while others enjoy them more if they have additional flavor — take mushrooms, for example. You can keep things simple and add minimal seasonings to your mushrooms, or you can get creative in the flavor department. One way to add more flavor to mushrooms is to marinate them. Mushrooms are a great candidate for this process because they're tough enough to hold up to marination while soft enough to provide a unique silky bite.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico brings us this recipe for marinated cremini mushroom antipasto salad that deliver a delicious flavor punch. The smooth, almost meaty mushrooms are infused with flavor from extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, shallot, and a combination of fresh herbs. The active prep work here is quite light and will take only 15 minutes, but you will need to plan ahead to allow the mushrooms a full 8 hours to marinate — luckily, we can guarantee that the wait is well worth it.

The star of this recipe is cremini mushrooms, and you will need 1 pound of them. Try to choose small, bite-sized mushrooms if you can. To make the marinade, you'll need high-quality extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, a shallot, and fresh herbs. The herbs used here are parsley, oregano, and marjoram, and they add a strong, fresh flavor to the marinade, so don't sub dried herbs. Lastly, you'll need salt and pepper to round out the flavor.

The first step is to wash the mushrooms. Be gentle, because these vegetables are delicate. You can gently rub any dirt off under a small stream of running water or in a bowl filled with water. Use a knife to remove the tips of the stems, which may be stiff or discolored. If you don't have small mushrooms, cut larger mushrooms into halves or quarters to make them bite-sized.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and place the mushrooms in the boiling water. Briefly boil them until they just become tender; it will take about 5 minutes. Drain the mushrooms in a colander and let them sit for a few minutes to drain away the excess water, or pat them dry with a cloth or paper towel.

Pour the olive oil and vinegar into a large bowl and then add the garlic, shallot, parsley, oregano, marjoram, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Use a whisk to mix the marinade well. You can use a fork if you don't have a whisk. It may seem like you're making more marinade then you strictly need, but this amount will cover the mushrooms better while marinating. You can use up any extra flavored oil with crusty Italian bread.

Now add the mushrooms to the bowl with the marinade. Don't wait too long after boiling the mushrooms, because it's best to add them while they're still warm. You want each mushroom piece to be evenly coated in marinate, so stir the mixture well. At this point, you can taste the dish and adjust the salt, pepper, or other seasonings if desired.

Carefully transfer the marinated mushroom mixture into an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. Let the mushrooms sit and marinate for a minimum of 8 hours and anywhere up to five days. Stir the mixture occasionally to make sure the mushroom pieces marinate evenly. If you use a sealed jar, you can simply invert the jar instead of stirring. Your patience will be rewarded because the mushrooms will develop a more intense and enjoyable flavor the longer they sit. For the best taste, make sure to bring the mushrooms to room temperature before you serve them.