Vegan Scallops with Lime Butter

I made these while living in Thailand and exotic mushrooms were cheap and readily available: all the better for me to buy in abundance and experiment with reckless abandon... excellent.. I first tried these babies when in Korea and they had a satifying bite and meaty (for want of a better word) texture. I usually see them served cut lengthwise, but when cut widthwise they make cute little mishapen rounds which reminded me of scallops.

Next step: what the hell do I do with them now?? I've never had a real scallop so I had no idea how they are eaten, let alone a faux version. Then a lightbulb went off in my head and I realised "Wait, everything tastes better with lime, right?" I don't know if this is traditional, but it sure was damn tasty.

Vegan Scallops with Lime Butter

4 eryngii mushrooms

1 Tbsp rice bran oil

2 Tbsps margarine

1/2 a lime

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

In a large pan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of margarine over medium heat until the margarine has melted and merged with the oil. Add mushrooms and gently pan fry until lightly browned.

Add the second tablespoon of margarine, along with the lime, sugar and soy. Stir until melted. You may want to add more lime/sugar/soy sauce depending on how zingy/sweet/salty you want it. It should be a creamy, buttery, slighty zingy flavoursome sauce.

I served mine over mashed potatoes and a little salad of julienned capsicum, carrot and green mango.

Serves 2