Chanterelles: abundant harvest opens door to varied dishes

This year's mushroom season stands out for its abundant chanterelle harvest — while finding other mushroom species in the forest is more hit or miss, chanterelles are currently easy to come by. That gives foragers a good opportunity to fill their baskets and then decide what to cook with them.

The bright yellow colour and distinctive flavour of chanterelles make them one of the most popular forest mushrooms in the kitchen. While many people associate chanterelles primarily with a creamy sauce, the possibilities go well beyond that.

A versatile ingredient

Chanterelles can be used not only for sauces but also for soups, salads, casseroles and hearty main courses. This means the mushroom can feature at different points of a meal, from lighter starter-style dishes to substantial, filling main courses.

The plentiful harvest this year therefore opens up more room for experimenting in the kitchen rather than sticking to the one, most familiar way of preparing chanterelles. Foragers are encouraged to make the most of the favourable season and gather chanterelles while they remain easy to find in the forest.