Hen of the Woods Sandwich

This satisfing vegetarian sandwich has a cult following at Scott Clark’s Half Moon Bay eatery

Makes 1 sandwich

INGREDIENTS

Toast:

1 tablespoon ghee

2 slices good-quality white bread

Mushroom:

3½ ounces Hen of the Woods mushrooms

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

1½ tablespoons ghee, preferably homemade

2 or 3 slices sharp Cheddar cheese

1 large egg

Sandwich:

1 tablespoon mustardy sauce of choice

2 lettuce leaves

Pickled red onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make the toast: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add the bread and toast it, without flipping, until golden and crunchy on one side only, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the mushroom with salt and pepper, then add it to the pan and drop in the ghee. When the ghee is melted, spoon it over the mushroom, basting it until it’s golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the mushroom and use a spatula to press it into the pan. Move the mushroom to the side of the pan and top it with the cheese. Crack the egg into the open space in the pan and cook it until the white is set, and the cheese has melted, 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip the egg and kill the heat.

For the sandwich, spread about 1 tablespoon of your sauce of choice on the untoasted sides of the bread. Add the lettuce and some pickled onions. Top one slice with the mushroom. Top it with the egg. Close the sandwich and cut it in half to serve.

Excerpted from “Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip” by Scott Clark with Betsy Andrews, © 2025. Published by Chronicle Books.