A simple recipe to prepare and cook saffron milk cap mushrooms.
Global Food Recipes
with Spices and Herbs
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What are saffron milk caps?
Saffron milk caps are orange-white marbled mushrooms with gills and a large cap. When you cut the stem, you will see a bright orange ring and an orange milk oozing out.
They are a delicacy in Spain, South France, the UK and in North East India. They appear during the main season in September and October in local markets.
The mushroom has a doppelgänger! That means there is another mushroom that looks pretty much the same, except that it doesn't have that clear ring marbling on the cap and circle dots on the stem.
That lookalike is called false saffron milk cap or Lactarius deterrismus and it's edible. I think it just tastes like the regular saffron milk cap. So you can safely consume and even mix it to your saffron milk caps.
How does it smell and taste?
Saffron milk caps have an exceptional flavor. I can hardly describe it. Some say they taste nutty.
Raw, they smell beautifully too; some may say like a pineapple. Paul says it smells like a jackfruit. Cut small and cooked in a pan with simple seasoning brings out all the natural flavors.
Process Overview
Step 1
Clean your mushrooms. If they are filthy, just wash them and pat them dry.
Step 2
Cut the mushroom into the desired size. We usually prefer them cut smaller than shown, but they look better cut in half.
Step 3
Heat up a pan with olive oil. Place your mushrooms into the hot pan and sauté with the seasoning until reduced and cooked through.
📖 Recipe
Sauteed Saffron Milk Caps Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 medium sized Saffron Milk Caps fresh mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper Ground to taste
Instructions
- Clean your mushrooms. Some people say not to rinse them but to brush them. But to be honest if they are very dirty, I will want to rinse them properly. Just pat them dry afterwards.
- Cut mushrooms into desired size. You can leave them whole if they are very small.
- Heat up a skillet with the olive oil and add in your mushrooms.
- Keep over high to medium heat and season your mushrooms with salt and black pepper.
- Sautee and stir occasionally. Reduce mushrooms or cook until cooked through.
- Serve up hot as a side dish with other main courses and side dishes.
Equipment
Nutrition
Serving
We love these mushrooms with light Mediterranean meals as a side dish. Dishes like Paella and pan-fried trouts work well with sautéed saffron milk caps.
At home, we tend to serve it with steaks too or with other meats such as pork medallions. You can serve your mushrooms with mashed potatoes too and roasted vegetables too.
Have never tried the saffron milk caps, looking forward to it!