Drying Mushrooms to Prevent Sliminess

Mushrooms turn slick and slimy when surface moisture lingers through cooking, so the reliable fix is to remove that moisture before they reach the plate. For mushrooms destined for a quick pickle, such as honshimeji, blanch them briefly in salted water, then drain well and pat thoroughly dry before they go into the pickling liquid — wet mushrooms going into the brine are what read as slimy later. For mushrooms you want firm and browned, such as matsutake, slice them and sear hard in a hot pan with a little neutral oil so the surface caramelises rather than stews. Rendering any fatty accompaniment, like pork jowl, slowly until crisp attacks the same fault from another direction. Together these steps trade a uniform, slippery chew for genuine textural contrast.