Just-So-Good Grilled Portobellos

Author Notes

Any grilled portobello is good. Crispy edges! Juicy centers! So much umami! But these grilled portobellos are—how do I put this?—so good. Like, so good I made them multiple nights in a one week, then wanted to make them again. It’s all thanks to a few-ingredient marinade that doubles as a sauce for a squishy-bun sandwich. Just combine nutritional yeast, olive oil, and whatever vinegary brine is in a jar of capers, cornichons, dill pickles, you name it. (And if your jar of capers doesn’t have enough liquid for the recipe—you’ll need 3 tablespoons—just supplement with any vinegar you have around; something mild, like white wine or rice, is ideal here.) Half of this sauce hangs out with the raw mushrooms, intensifying their innate umami, before they hop on the grill. The rest gets combined with minced capers (or cornichons or whatever pickle-y thing you just used), plus minced chives, for a tartar-like sauce that just happens to be vegan. Unlike meat, mushrooms are hard to overcook—so don’t be afraid of char, and keep grilling until the edges start to crisp and crackle. That said, like meat, portobellos appreciate a post-cook rest, so all the flavorful juices can settle in. If you aren’t in the mood for a sandwich, that’s fine. Grill portobellos anyway. I like to thinly slice them, then slather with sauce, then put toward fluffy rice, cold noodles, vinaigrette-slicked lettuces, scrambled eggs. Really whatever is on the docket for dinner tonight. P.S. Yes, you can eat the stems! But if you'd like, feel free to remove them before marinating. —Emma Laperruque