Hongos Al Ajillo Recipe

Clean and slice mushrooms

Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth or paper towel to remove dirt. Trim any tough stems. If using larger cremini, slice mushrooms into 6–8 mm (1/4–1/3 in) thick slices. If using small button mushrooms, halve or quarter them so pieces are roughly uniform.

Prep aromatics

Peel and thinly slice 4 garlic cloves. Chop parsley and measure wine, butter, oil, chile flakes, salt and pepper so everything is ready at the stove.

Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Swirl to melt and coat the pan.

Add the mushrooms in a single layer. Avoid overcrowding the pan; if your skillet is small, cook in two batches. Let mushrooms sear undisturbed for 3–4 minutes so they brown on the first side.

Stir mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and most of their liquid has evaporated, about 4–6 more minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Push mushrooms to the side of the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the sliced garlic to the cleared area. Sauté the garlic for 30–45 seconds until fragrant and lightly golden, taking care not to burn it.

Mix the garlic into the mushrooms, then sprinkle in the crushed chile flakes, coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine and cook 30 seconds to bloom the spices.

Pour in the white wine and increase heat to medium-high for 1–2 minutes to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by about half so the flavors concentrate and the mushrooms finish cooking.

Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or chile flakes as desired.

If serving as a shared appetizer, transfer the hongos al ajillo to a warmed serving dish. Optionally sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt before serving.