Blistered Shishito Peppers
One of my favorite things to order at a restaurant is shishito peppers! When these little Japanese peppers are in season, I cannot resist them. Once I learned how insanely easy it is to make this dreamy, healthy, salty, snacky appetizer at home, I couldn’t be stopped! They start popping up in summer and the season lasts into fall, so during those months I can be found blistering shishito peppers at least once a week. Sprinkled with flakey salt, I truly cannot think of a better starter than these savory shishito peppers.
What Are Shishito Peppers?
Shishito peppers are small, bright green, somewhat wrinkled-looking peppers in the capsicum annuum family. Most of the peppers are very mild and even a bit sweet, but occasionally you’ll come across one that is seriously spicy. Serving shishito peppers is sort of like hosting a really fun game of snack roulette! Every now and then, someone will eat a hot pepper! It is said that roughly one in ten peppers are hot, but I have found a ton of variance. Occasionally, I’ve had a batch that’s almost entirely mild, and sometimes the breakdown is almost 50/50 spicy/mild.
So, consider yourself warned! If someone at your table (kiddos, we’re looking at you) isn’t into spicy heat, make sure to warn them away from the blistered peppers, or at least take a small bite of one first to check for spiciness. Shishitos are very similar to padrón peppers, which can be prepared in this way, too, btw!
How To Cook Shishito Peppers
When I say “blistered shishito peppers” I do mean blistered! Cooked quickly at high heat, these peppers are as fast as they are delicious.
Here’s how to make them:
- Heat oil over a high heat until it smokes. (Yes, turn your kitchen fan on!)
- Put the peppers in the pan, careful not to overcrowd them. If you put too many peppers in the pan at once, they’ll steam instead of blister!
- Turn the peppers after a few minutes, and finish cooking them. It should take just about five minutes total to cook the peppers. They’ll look blistered and wilted when they’re done.
- Salt them generously and finish them with a bit of lemon zest.
- Gobble! As soon as you can eat them without burning your mouth, eat them up!
Tools You’ll Need:
Green & Munchy
More snacky green things to nibble on. Just add drinks and call it a party!
Tapas Party At Your Place!
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