Coral tooth: the coral of the forest, and how to grow it at home

Anyone who has ever seen a white, branching, dripping structure hanging from a dead trunk in an old beech wood, as if a piece of coral were growing out of the wood, has seen coral tooth. Hericium coralloides is the brother of lion's mane, with the same flavour and the same spines but a completely different build. In north-west Europe it is rare and belongs left hanging in the woods. At home it can be grown, which is exactly why it is in our range.

What does it look like?

Like coral. From a single base the fruiting body branches into dozens of slender arms, and from every arm hang rows of short spines, half a centimetre to a centimetre long, like little combs. Young, everything is pure white; over the days the spine tips turn cream to pale yellow. A mature specimen can reach twenty to thirty centimetres across and has a structure so fine that it almost falls apart when harvested. There is no confusion with anything poisonous: no other white, branching, spiny fungus on wood is harmful.

How does it differ from lion's mane?

Build and pace. Lion's mane forms one compact ball with long spines hanging down, coral tooth branches and carries short spines along its arms. The flavour is the same: mild, sweetish, with the fibrous bite of shellfish, but the finer structure cooks faster and is a little more delicate. It also grows somewhat slower and yields less weight per block. If you mainly want to eat, take lion's mane; if you want to watch something special grow, take this one.

Where does it grow in the wild?

On dead beech wood, sometimes ash or maple, in old, damp broadleaf forests with plenty of fallen dead wood. Exactly the kind of forest that is scarce here, which makes it a red-list species in the Netherlands. If you find it in the woods: photograph, admire, leave it. We do not say that for form's sake. A wild site disappears if you pick it, and the flavour from a grow kit is exactly the same.

How do you grow it?

Like lion's mane, with a little more attention to moisture. A coral tooth grow kit wants a cool spot, 12 to 18 degrees, high humidity and fresh air. The fruiting body forms from the cut in the plastic and branches into a coral within a week or two. The main difference from lion's mane: the fine arms dry out faster, so mist two to three times a day, ideally with a clear container with air holes placed loosely over the block for the microclimate. Too dry and the spine tips turn brown; too little air and the arms stay thick and blunt, see our piece on air and light. It can be grown on logs too, on fresh beech, but that is a two-year project with lower odds than lion's mane.

When do you harvest?

While the spines are still white and the arms feel firm, usually ten to fourteen days after the first bud. Do not wait for maximum size: a day too late and the tips go yellow and the flavour bitter. Cut the whole coral off close to the block with a sharp knife and carry it to the kitchen like a bird's nest, because it breaks at every movement. A second, smaller flush usually follows after two to four weeks.

How do you cook it?

Like lion's mane, but shorter. Tear the coral into arms, dry-fry them first in a moderately hot pan until the moisture is out, then butter, salt and a drop of lemon. Thanks to the fine structure it is ready in five minutes and turns crisp at the edges. In a creamy pasta, on toasted bread, or just as it is, from the pan. All the lion's mane recipes work, only with shorter cooking times. Fresh, two days at most in the fridge in paper; to keep longer, fry and freeze.

Who is coral tooth for?

Anyone who already knows lion's mane and wants the prettier version. Anyone who wants to grow something that starts a conversation at the table. And anyone who once saw a coral hanging in the woods and could not pick it: this is the way to taste it after all, without any tree being the poorer for it.