Shishito peppers, sautéed until blistered in spots and tossed with lemon juice and salt, are a popular Japanese bar food. Recipe below.
Once again, I am late to the culinary party. Last week, I happened across an article about a 27-year-old becoming the shishito pepper baron of New York. My immediate question was “what’s a shishito pepper?” The short answer is they’re apparently a thing—and have been for a few years now.
The longer answer is that, when simply fried or grilled, shishito peppers are popular appetizers in Japanese izakaya, casual after-work bars that also feature small plates menus. The slender, pleated green peppers have a delicate peppery flavor. Mostly mild, one in ten randomly packs a bit of heat. From the dish we prepared above, only one had any kick at all, and it was a whisper to our brutalized taste buds.
When I explored recipes for shishito peppers, there was essentially one, with variations. Sauté them until slightly blistered. Season with sea salt and perhaps some lemon juice. I took this most basic approach, and they were delicious—fresh, summery and tender (think of how all peppers soften as you sauté them).
Variations include substituting ponzu, a citrusy Japanese sauce, for the lemon juice; substituting soy sauce for sea salt; or adding some sesame oil to the olive oil as you cook them, then topping the peppers with sesame seeds (I’m totally trying this version next). You can also pan grill them or throw them on the grill to add some smokiness. For either of these approaches, toss them with oil first.
This dish is a great addition to a meal of small plates, served with beer, cocktails or a crisp white wine. The peppers a perfect finger food, with the stems (don’t eat them) serving as handles. We had them on their own as an appetizer.
You can find shishito peppers at most Asian markets and, since early this year, in 6-ounce packages at Trader Joe’s.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Serves 4 as an appetizer or small plate
6 to 8 ounces shishito peppers
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt, preferably a flaky variety such as Maldon
fresh lemon juice
Rinse peppers and pat them dry with a dish towel. Heat olive oil over medium-high flame in a large sauté pan. When the pan is quite hot, add peppers and toss to coat with oil. Season with a little sea salt. Cook, turning occasionally, until peppers are tender and blistered in spots, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with a generous squeeze of lemon juice—maybe 2 teaspoons or so. Season with more sea salt, plate and serve.
Yeah, I’m late to the party too. Haven’t tried these yet, and really want to. Sound quite interesting. And your taste test has convinced me I’d like this. Thanks!
I haven’t heard of these, but then living in Arizona we focus mainly on Mexican pepper varieties. I love sweet peppers in any number of dishes and will have to try these.
Happy Summer, Terry!
I found these peppers at our local farmer’s market last year – they called them “Asian peppers”. I’d never seen them before, and was apprehensive they might be too hot for me (I’m a wimp), but I bought some anyway. I followed the vendor’s instructions and sauteed them in a little oil until they blistered, then added coarse salt. OMG were they good! They just appeared at the market again, and while I bought some, they’re a little too expensive to eat like popcorn. Thanks to this article I now know what their proper name is, and found them at Baker Creek Seeds (www.rareseeds.com). I’m ordering some for my fall garden so I can eat all I want!
Wow this is new to me. Thankfully there are a lot of Asian markets near my workplace. I HAVE to try these.
Were they full of seeds?
Does the lemon juice diminish the brightness of the peppers?
Thank you, I would never have known.
I am remiss in answering the comments—sorry, everyone. John, I think you will like these.
Thanks, Dani! You can substitute Padrón peppers, which should be more readily available where you are.
Aren’t they good, Cynthia? Good luck with your planting.
Randi, they do have plenty of seeds, but they are absolutely edible. I think the lemon juice actually enhanced the peppers’ natural peppery brightness. And as I said in the [ost, I’m looking forward to trying these with a little sesame oil with the olive oil (maybe a teaspoon) and then topping them with toasted sesame seeds.
These are hard to come by. But when toasted like this, or maybe just straight up deep fried makes for the ultimate barsnack. A phenomenal kick these shishito peppers make for.