You have some friends coming by for dinner, and you’d like to give them something interesting to nibble on while they enjoy drinks before dinner is served, what could you serve them that’s easy and light? Problem solved, as soon as they arrive prepare a plate of blistered shishito peppers. These are so easy to make, they just take five minutes and bingo, bango, boom you have them.
Blistered shishito peppers are so good. I have introduced them to a few of my friends, it’s great to watch their eyes widen as they bite into their first one and taste the earthy flavor of the peppers. The wild thing about shishito peppers is that they are mostly mild, but one in ten packs a punch of spiciness, but you can never tell which one! You may find though that your batch of peppers are all very mild, but the threat that one might have you fanning your mouth adds a little excitement when eating them.
I used a grill pan to blister my peppers, but if you don’t have one you can use a skillet or regular fry pan, just make sure whatever you use can handle high temperatures.
The biggest decision you will have to make when serving these blistered shishito peppers is what salt to use. You can use any salt you desire, a plain salt such as kosher salt or sea salt, or something with a little flavor, such as seasoned sea salt flakes, or lemon salt – the choice is yours, just keep it simple and enjoy.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
- 8 oz green shishito peppers
- Olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt
Equipment and Utensils
- Large grill pan skillet or fry pan
Instructions
- Wash peppers and leave to drain, remove excess water with a paper towel and set aside.
- Heat pan on high heat until hot and then add just a little oil - 1 tbsp should be fine, but it depends on the pan you use.
- Add peppers and toss them continuously.
- Keep tossing your peppers until you begin to see them blistering in places and developing a charred appearance.
- Before the peppers begin to soften, remove them from the pan to a plate and sprinkle with your desired salt to taste
