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What Are Shishito Peppers?

Shishito peppers are an East Asian pepper.  They are small and look a bit like a slightly lumpy and shriveled jalapeno. They are often served blistered up from high heat at Japanese restaurants as an appetizer, and have become popular on restaurant menus of all sorts in recent years; I’ve seen shishito peppers at places that have surprised me!

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

Are Shishito Peppers Hot?

Usually, no. They are mild and fairly sweet, as peppers go.  However, 1 in a dozen will be hot, and possibly ridiculously hot.  You can’t tell by looking at them which ones are hot, so you may be chomping away and get a little surprise somewhere along the way.  It’s kind of part of the fun of it, nature’s way of keeping us on our toes, I guess.

Blistered shishito peppers are delicious served salted and browned from a good sear in a hot pan.

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How to Make Shitshito Peppers 

Super easy.  Just heat up a bit of oil in a skillet, olive or vegetable or grapeseed, whatever you have.  

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

Add the shishito peppers, whole, and allow them to brown and blister a bit on the bottoms, then turn them to allow another side to brown.  

Don’t toss or stir them too frequently – you want nice browned spots all over (but there will be plenty of surface that won’t brown, because of their uneven texture.

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

A panful of peppers will probably take about 10 minutes to brown.

Toss them with some kosher salt (be generous!)

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

How to Eat Shishito Peppers

Eat them by holding the pepper by the stem and biting it — the only inedible part is the stem itself, and frankly it’s edible but not all that appealing texture-wise.  

You can serve these warm or at room temperature.

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

What to Serve with Blistered Shishito Peppers:

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

Other Appetizer Recipes:

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How to Cook Shishito Peppers

5 from 2 votes
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 12 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Blistered East Asian shishito peppers are delicious served salted and browned from a good sear in a hot pan.

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil of your choice (olive, vegetable, canola, grapeseed, etc)
  • 6 ounces shishito peppers
  • Kosher salt to taste

Instructions 

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the peppers, and turn them every couple of minutes, as they brown on the bottom, until they are browned in spots and blistered all over. This will take about 10 minutes total.
  • Toss the peppers with salt and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Are Shishito Peppers Hot?

Usually, no. They are mild and fairly sweet, as peppers go.  However, 1 in a dozen will be hot, and possibly ridiculously hot.  You can’t tell by looking at them which ones are hot, so you may be chomping away and get a little surprise somewhere along the way.  It’s kind of part of the fun of it, nature’s way of keeping us on our toes, I guess.

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 298mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 629IU, Vitamin C: 137mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Comments

  1. Love these peppers! I put them in a dry, smoking hot cast iron skillet, blister them, remove from heat add olive oil ant a good sea salt. Sometimes I squeeze a bit of fresh lemon over them. Yum!

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