Confit mushroom salad

Serves 4

• 500g king oyster mushrooms

• 500g shiitake mushrooms

• salt

• 1 litre grapeseed oil

• 1 lemon (zested then juiced)

• 6 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch marjoram/oregano

• 500g sugar snap peas

• 1 shallot (finely sliced)

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves

1. For the confit, cut the king oyster mushrooms into two-centimetre discs down to the bottom third. Retain the final third to slice very thinly for the salad. Cut the shiitake in half and place them in a pot with the king oyster mushroom discs. Sprinkle over 10 grams of salt and set aside.

2. After 10 minutes, add the grapeseed oil, lemon zest, garlic and marjoram or oregano to the pot, making sure everything fits snugly. Place a cartouche (greaseproof paper lid) on top and cook over a medium heat until the oil reaches 80ºC. Cook at this temperature for eight minutes, then set the pot aside to cool. 3. Blanch the sugar snap peas in salted boiling water for 10 seconds then refresh in iced water. Pull the tail off each along with the string, then in the same movement split them in two. This technique takes a minute to get the hang of but becomes a great addition to the salad repertoire.

4. Take the garlic cloves, lemon zest and marjoram/oregano out of the confit. Combine these ingredients with 200ml of the confit oil and the lemon juice. Blend using a stick blender and adjust the flavour with salt and more lemon juice if required.

5. Lift the confit mushrooms out of the oil and dry them on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Toss these mushrooms together with the shallots, Thai basil, sugar snap peas and the dressing.

6. Place into serving bowls and top with the sliced raw oyster mushroom stem.