King Trumpet (King Oyster)

Pleurotus eryngii

Origin: Mediterranean and Western Asian native, commercially cultivated worldwide since the 1990s.

King trumpet doesn't look like an oyster — single thick-stemmed mushrooms, 4-8 inches tall, with small caps and meaty pearly-white stems. The stem is the prize: when sliced into rounds and seared, it has the exact texture of scallop. This is the mushroom that makes vegan scallop dishes plausible. Growing king trumpet at home requires a wider temperature swing than oyster (it likes a colonization at 70°F+ then a 50°F shock to trigger pinning) and benefits from being fruited in trays rather than bags so the stems grow upright. Yields are modest but each individual mushroom is large and easy to harvest.

Growth requirements

Fruiting temperature: 50–65 °F
Colonization temperature: 70–80 °F
Humidity at fruiting: 85–95%
Days to first flush: 25–45 days
Yield (per 5lb bag): 0.6–1.2 lb fresh
Difficulty: 5 / 10

Substrate compatibility

supplemented sawdust
master's mix

Flavor profile

Umami

7/10

Sweetness

5/10

Texture

scallop-like stem
tender cap

Stem cross-sections seared in oil = vegan scallops, full stop. Cap is gentler in flavor and good for soups or stocks.

Recipe pairings

Recipes that take advantage of this strain's flavor + texture profile. Cross-link out to full recipe pages.

King Trumpet 'Scallops'

Cross-section the stem. Sear like a scallop. Receive applause.

References

Stajic, M. et al. (2009). Cultivation of Pleurotus eryngii. Food Chemistry, 116(3), 633-635