Vegan Scallop XO Sauce Linguine

A vegan Chinese-Italian fusion pasta dish. Linguine tossed in the richest, most umami vegan “XO sauce” and topped with king oyster “scallops.”

As it turns out, the king oyster mushroom (or other oyster mushroom varieties) has fibers arranged very similarly to scallops. Not to mention they have a funky, almost fishy taste. So all you need to do to transform them is cook them like you would cook scallops.

Mushroom XO Sauce

XO Sauce is an iconic Chinese condiment traditionally made from dried seafood such as scallops and other meats such as cured ham. It is known for its intensely rich, umami flavors. In this vegan version, I replicated the flavors of XO Sauce with caramelized mushrooms and onions.

Method: 1) Finely mince the mushrooms with a knife (alternatively you can use a food processor). Finely mince yellow onions too. 2) In a pan, fry onions, garlic, and crushed dried chilis on high heat in the first 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes. 3) Add in all of the remaining ingredients and cook until the moisture of the mushrooms are completely evaporated. Around 10-12 minutes. Finally, take the pan off the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Vegan Scallop XO Sauce Linguine

5 from 6 votes

Recipe by George L. Course: DinnerCuisine: Italian, ChineseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Linguine tossed in umami vegan XO sauce and topped with king oyster mushroom “scallops.” A vegan Chinese-Italian fusion pasta dish.

Ingredients

• King Oyster “Scallops”

• 2 large king oyster mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon chili oil

• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

• Mushroom XO Sauce

• 130 grams shiitake mushrooms (or white mushrooms)

• 1/2 yellow onion, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon ground five-spice

• 2 dried chilis, crushed

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper powder

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)

• 2 tablespoons dried seaweed, shredded

• Pasta

• 200 grams linguine

• 3 tablespoons Mushroom XO Sauce

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced, to plate

• shredded nori, to plate

Directions

• Today we’re working with the king oyster mushroom.
• Trim off the ends and slice the mushrooms into around 1 cm thick cylinders.
• With a knife, gently score one side of each cylinder. See the video above for how I score it!
• In a pan, heat up the vegetable oil on high heat. Sear each “scallop” with the scored side down first. Flip when the scored side is crispy and golden.
• Once you flipped all the “scallops,” add the chili oil. Baste* the scallops with the chili oil. When both sides are golden-brown, they are ready. Take off the heat and set aside.
• Prepare the pasta according to the directions on its packet. When the pasta is 2 minutes from being done, heat up the XO sauce in another pan.
• Add the cooked pasta, a few tablespoons of pasta water, and toss to emulsify. Finally, add the scallops and top everything with thinly sliced scallions and nori.

Notes

• Cooking Terminology. Baste: pour fat / oil over the food during cooking in order to keep it moist.