Have you ever been to your local farmers market and seen those beautiful Shishito Peppers and wanted to buy them but had no idea how to use them? I have got you covered! I’ve developed a recipe for a delicious blistered pepper smothered in a delicate asian inspired sauce, all topped with a fried shallot. These peppers can be served as a side dish or even an appetizer. Enjoy!
Shishito Peppers
Description
During the late Spring and Summer months, I often see Shishito peppers being sold at my local farmers market. I’ve tried many ways to cook them, but this Shishito Pepper recipe is hands down my all time favorite. These mildly spicy peppers are blistered, cooked along with savory shallots, and smothered in an asian inspired sauce and topped with a pinch or two of coarse sea salt. One of the most important steps in this recipe is to make sure that your peppers are completely dry. Any moisture on your peppers will result in a hot oil splatter once your peppers reach the hot pan. This recipe moves quickly, so I also highly recommend having all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking. I love to serve these peppers as a side dish or even as an appetizer. The best way to eat these is to dunk your pepper into the sauce so you get all of that delicious sweet and savory sauce with each bite. This is such a simple recipe that requires very little prep work, but the flavor you end up with feels as though you put a lot of effort into this dish. I first was inspired to make these peppers after visiting one of my favorite sushi restaurants when I was presented with a serving of peppers drenched in a flavorful sauce. I just had to find a way to make these at home so I could enjoy them without having to go to a sushi restaurant.. Speaking of sushi restaurants, did you know about that time I broke a sushi eating record? It was a typical weekend and my family and I had decided we wanted sushi for dinner so we headed out to our favorite restaurant. We ordered our usual appetizers of dumplings and shishito peppers along with our usual sushi rolls. I don’t know how or why this happened, but the most insatiable hunger overcame me and I found myself ordering more and more rolls. One after another, I devoured spicy tuna rolls, rainbow rolls, salmon rolls, etc., until I hit a whopping 12 rolls instead of my usual 3 rolls. The waiter informed me that if I eat just a few more rolls, I’ll break a local record, get a free t-shirt, and have my photo up on the wall. With my family’s encouragement, I ordered 3 more rolls and scarfed them down. By this time I was finally satiated and was presented with an award along with a round of applause from the entire restaurant staff. I declined my photo on the wall, but nonetheless, I had eaten the largest quantity of sushi I had ever eaten in a single sitting. Even though I was stuffed to the gills, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could make those delicious shishito peppers at home.
Ingredients
Sauce
Instructions
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Combine all of your sauce ingredients together. Once your sauce is combined, wash and thoroughly dry your peppers and prepare your shallots. Â
Don't skip the step of throughly drying your peppers. Adding wet peppers to your pan will cause and eruption of oil splattering.
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Once your peppers are fully dry, add your vegetable oil to your pan and preheat to medium high heat. Add your peppers in a single layer and allow them to blister on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Add your shallots after 3-5 minutes allow them to cook along side your peppers.Â
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Once your peppers are blistered on both sides, but not burnt and your shallots are tender, remove from the pan, pour your sauce over them and top with a pinch of salt. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I like to use a pinch or two of coarse sea salt in this recipe to really make the peppers shine. Do salt to taste but add only a little at a time to avoid over salting.
