How to Clean Morel Mushrooms: A Simple Guide

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 References

Morel mushrooms are a real treat: their earthy, nutty texture is hard to come by anywhere else. If you foraged the mushrooms yourself, they may be slightly grimy or dirty, which is why cleaning them is so important. While there's some disagreement in the mushroom community about whether or not you should rinse or soak the mushrooms, it's a good idea to at least clean them in saltwater before eating. In this article, we'll walk you through the whole process and give you helpful tips along the way.

1

Store the morels in the fridge.

Keep the mushrooms fresh for 1 to 2 days by storing them in the fridge. If you can't clean and cook them immediately, put the morels into a paper bag and store them in the refrigerator.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Avoid putting the morels in plastic bags or airtight storage containers. They need airflow or they'll become soggy.
- There's no need to clean them before you store them. In fact, washing them before refrigerating them can cause them to go bad much faster.

2

Trim the mushrooms.

Use a small knife to trim the ends and slice the morels in half. Remove the dry or woody end of each mushroom—you can save these bits to use in vegetable stock. Then, slice each morel in half lengthwise. This makes it much easier to remove dirt or bugs from the hollow centers.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you slice the mushrooms in half but notice that they don't have hollow stems, do not eat them. You may be handling false morels which are poisonous. Always take an experienced guide or do proper research when finding morel mushrooms.

3

Shake the mushrooms in a closed paper bag.

Put the morels into a bag or colander and toss them to loosen dirt. It's no surprise that dirt, sand, and tiny bugs can get stuck in the honeycombed ends of the mushrooms. To make cleaning easier, put the morels into a paper bag or dry colander and shake them gently to knock out some of the dirt.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Try to shake the mushrooms gently to keep the stems intact.

4

Brush the mushrooms.

Brushing dirt from mushrooms is preferable to washing them. A pastry brush for removing flour is great for cleaning mushrooms. Simply brush the mushrooms to remove dirt and crumbs. If you don't have a brush, use a paper towel instead.
- Washing mushrooms can make them rubbery.
- While this is the recommended cleaning method for all mushrooms, fresh morel mushrooms are a special kind of fungi in more ways than one. They have deep nooks and crannies that get dirty and sometimes “lived in“, so it's usually good to give them a good, temporary soak.

5

Fill a sink with saltwater.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons (34 g) of salt in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of room temperature or cool water. You can do this in a clean sink or large bowl depending on how many morel mushrooms you want to clean. The salt helps draw out tiny bugs or pests that might be living on the mushrooms.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Feel free to halve these amounts if you're not cleaning very many morels.

6

Swish the morels in the saltwater.

Add the mushrooms to the water and agitate them to release dirt and bugs. Again, be really gentle when you do this so you don't damage the mushrooms. Some people believe that a quick swish and rinse is all the morels need, while others argue that you should soak them in saltwater for up to 30 minutes.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Soaking can draw out more of the dirt or bugs, so a longer soak might clean really dirty mushrooms much better. However, it could dilute the flavor of the morels.

7

Swish them again if they’re still dirty.

Drain the sink and fill it with a fresh batch of saltwater if necessary. If you look in the sink and see really cloudy dirty water, you might need to clean the mushrooms in another batch of saltwater. Drain the water, fill it with fresh saltwater, and swish the mushrooms again.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Continue washing the mushrooms until you remove all of the visible dirt and the water in the sink is much clearer.

8

Rinse the mushrooms under cold water.

Use your hands or a strainer to lift the morels out of the water. This is to remove them from the dirt you just washed off. Then, hold the mushrooms under cool running water to completely rinse off dirt or debris.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you're using a colander, let the mushrooms drain for 1 minute before you dry them.

9

Spread the morels on a dry cloth.

Pat them with a cloth or a paper towel to completely remove all moisture. If you leave wet mushrooms out, they'll lose their firm texture and become slimy or hard to work with. Plus, they need to be totally dry to get the best crispy texture that they're known for.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- You may need more than 1 towel to dry a large batch of morel mushrooms.

10

Use the clean morels immediately.

Cook your clean morels right after you dry them to you get the best texture. Morel mushrooms have to be cooked, and fortunately, there are tons of delicious ways to enjoy these fungi! Here are a few great ways to cook morels:^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Sautéeing morels
- Making morel mushroom sauce
- Frying morel mushrooms
- Making morel mushroom Soup