Blistered Shishito Peppers

You’ve got 5 minutes in your day right? I know you do, you are taking the time to read this so you’ve got the time. Thank you by the way for taking the time to be here! Use those 5 minutes wisely and make these Blistered Shishito Peppers. This is so simple and easy I hesitated to even write and post this as a recipe. Then I realized that everyone needs to experience these peppers & quite a few people asked about them on social media I felt that it was my duty to promote these beautiful little green gems.

There are two different methods I use to make these Shishito Peppers. Both methods yield nearly identical results. If you are like me it will simply come down to deciding which I want to deal with more, cleaning the cast-iron skillet or turning on the oven. 100% mood dependent cooking around here! So utilize what you’ve got available to you or follow your mood. Either way you are 5 minutes away from a tasty vegetable treat.

A plate of peppers? Hell yes! This isn’t some weird food challenge to see how much spice you can handle. In fact, shishito peppers are actually quite mild. They have a sweet, smoky flavor that falls in the heat range between a bell bell pepper and a mild jalepeno. They say that 1 out of 10 shishito peppers packs some heat. Just keep in mind, that supposed heat is lower than a mild jalepeno. Now I’ve eaten plenty of these to feel like I can weigh in on these stats and I feel like one 1 out of 10 is ridiculous. At this point I’ve eaten hundreds, maybe in the thousands and I feel like I’ve had 5, maybe 6 peppers that had a slight kick. So if you are new to peppers and not a fan of spicy then shishito peppers are a great entry to trying this vegetable. And if nothing else, you’ve got the added element of surprise with each bite.

What does blistered mean? Quite literally, when these cook they puff up and their skins burn and blister (just like your skin – sorry for the gross visual comparison). This high heat cooking method quickly tenderizes the vegetable while giving those nice charred, smoky bites. Once removed from heat, that puffed of vegetable deflates and you are left with a delectable, easy meal.

Here are some other simple, veggie forward recipes to try for snacks or light meals…

Baba Ganoush

Roasted Broccoli & Kale Ricotta Toast

Tomato Salad

Smoky Eggplant & Pepper Crudités

Print Recipe

Blistered Shishito Peppers

A quick 5 minute veggie snack, appetizer or light meal.

Prep Time1 minute min

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, light meal, Snack

Keyword: peppers, shishito, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 package shishito peppers (usually 8 oz with 15-20 peppers)
• 1 tsp olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• sprinkle sea salt to taste

Lemon Tahini Dipping Sauce (optional)

• 1 tbsp tahini
• juice from one lemon
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill (sub 1 tsp dried dill)
• water to thin sauce to desired level

Instructions

• Broiler Method:

  Turn broiler on. Place peppers on a baking tray & toss with the oil. Spread the peppers out on the tray so they have space between them. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, toss & place back under the broiler for 2-3 more minutes. Remove & top with lemon zest & sea salt.
• Cast Iron Method:

  Place 1 tsp of oil in a cast iron skillet on high heat until oil begins to smoke. Add the peppers to the pan & cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to burn and blister. Toss & cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat & top with lemon zest & sea salt.
• Optional Dipping Sauce:

  In a small container whisk together tahini, lemon juice & dill until it thickens to paste. Slowly whisk in a little bit of water at at time to reach your desired consistency for the dipping sauce. Serve alongside the peppers for easy dipping.

Notes

Blistering method:  You have two options for blistering, either cast-iron or broiler.  Choose which works best for you.  Watch the peppers closely under the broiler as they can char quickly in spots so you may want to rotate the pan.

To flip or not to flip?  You also have two methods for the time frame to blister.  Dependent upon your heat source you may only heat1 side for 5 minutes, giving you one side that is charred and blistered, or you can cook for 2-3 minutes per side and get less intensive char, but more char spots.  Completely up to you.

Toppings & sauces:  Serve alone or add some additional flavors with sea salt, lemon, garlic or your favorite dipping sauces, dependent upon the cuisine you are serving.  The lemon tahini sauce in the recipe is pretty versatile but you could also serve with a soy sauce, teriyaki, ranch style…so many options.

 

Enjoy!!!!