Shishito Peppers
These shishito peppers are blistered in a skillet which gives them charred skins and a smoky flavour. They are sprinkled with some salt flakes and result in a smoky sweet and salty pepper.
Sweet and smoky, these shishito peppers are so easy to prepare and an excellent side dish to so many proteins from steak, chicken shrimp and more.
What Makes Shishito Peppers Great
- Quick – cooking these peppers is super fast and ideal for a weeknight meal. These can be done in under 10 minutes.
- Mild – while these may look like spicy chilli peppers, these are a very mild pepper.
- Simple Seasoning – all I do with these peppers is use oil and salt. This light seasoning highlights the flavour of the shishitos.
- Smoky – blistering the peppers gives them a char that creates a smoky taste and that might be one of the
- Tender – shishito peppers are tender and can be eaten whole, similar to a peperoncino pepper.
Where Can I Buy Shishito Peppers?
Over the last few years, I have seen shishito peppers in the produce section of most of the local supermarkets around me. They seem to be more common during the summer and fall months.
What Else Do I Need?
Along with the shishito peppers, all else that is needed is some oil and salt. For oil, you want some that can handle high heat. So, I would avoid olive oil. I use vegetable oil and it works great. Along with the oil, I also use some Maldon sea salt flakes for seasoning. These salt flakes are so good and perfect for these peppers
Coat In Oil
Place the peppers in a bowl and drizzle the oil all over them. It’s important that the peppers are fully coated in the oil, so I get my hands in there rub the oil all over the shishito peppers. They are now ready to be cooked.
Cook In The Skillet
Before adding the peppers, heat the skillet over high heat. Place hand over the skillet, a feet or so from touching it. Once you can feel the ambient heat, add the peppers and you will hear them starting to sizzle.
Expert Tip! There is no need to add any oil to the skillet during heating. Since the peppers have been tossed in oil, the peppers will have all the oil they need and will not stick to the pan.
Shishito peppers do not take long to cook. After a minute or two, use some tongs and turn the peppers. You should see them blistering and charring. Continue cooking them turning every couple minutes until charred all over and you can tell the peppers are tender.
These peppers are best served right away while they are nice and hot. But, sprinkle some salt flakes all over the peppers before serving. Trust me, this really elevates the shishito peppers. They will be smoky and sweet with a nice salty taste.
More Recipes
Here are some recipes that go great with these blistered shishito peppers.
- Pan Seared Striploin Steak
- Cedar Plank Salmon with Brown Sugar Rub
- Tangerine Chicken Thighs
- Steamed Salmon with Orange Sesame Glaze
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
- 30 shishito peppers
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt flakes
Instructions
- Place the shishito peppers in a bowl and toss in the oil until all coated
- Heat a skillet over high heat (cast iron or carbon steel work great).
- Add the peppers and cook for a couple minutes. Turn when the peppers are blistering and starting to char. Continue to cooking in the skillet and turning until blistered on all sides.
- Turn the heat off and sprinkle with salt flakes.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
Per serving:
