quote:

Originally posted by Green Highlander:
It can be a game of pepper roulette. About 1 in 10 are “hot”. Kind of comparable to a jalapeño. But that kick does catch you by surprise when you have been eating a bunch of mild ones.

Yup!

This is spot on, I enjoy munching on them as an app but, every once in awhile, you'll catch a hot one. Not crazy hot but, a pleasant surprise that makes for some fun entertainment.

I love shishito peppers and have had some success growing them. If you like shishito peppers, seek out padron peppers as well.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-LcRzm7H9g?si=d-RljSYkU3haNMGe" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

The follow-on video showed them being blistered in a frying pan. I gotta say that looks more practical than dragging then in charcoal ashes.

https://youtu.be/_r1fi13H1w0

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pipe Smoker,

We love them. Were introduced to them a few years by our CSA

One of my favorite Sushi places offers them in a light tempura style with a spicy sauce. My wife absolutely loves them although she typically prefers more heat.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:

typically order when I see on a menu.

Any place around here that serves them?

Hmm, I'd have to think about that, nothing rings at the moment.

We've never had these, never heard of them. And then today I get an update on a local farm stand and they have Shishito Peppers! They only have a garden sale once a week, 4-6 on Thursdays, wife is heading there.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-LcRzm7H9g?si=d-RljSYkU3haNMGe" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

The follow-on video showed them being blistered in a frying pan. I gotta say that looks more practical than dragging then in charcoal ashes.

https://youtu.be/_r1fi13H1w0

Just broil them in the oven on the top rack. Cake.

My first attempt to cook blistered shishito peppers.

I found a shishito pepper “kit” at my grocery – a sealed plastic bag with 8 ounces of peppers, a pouch of dry garlic herb seasoning and a pouch of sea salt flakes. I cooked ‘em using hints from YouTube videos, including piercing each pepper with a sharp fork to prevent popping.

After cooking they looked good. I.e., like the YouTube results. Here are some of mine:


That frying pan was ideal for three reasons:
#1 – Shishito peppers were developed in Japan, and the pan was made in Japan. A good omen, I declare.
#2 – Its bowl is the right shape for flipping the peppers for even blistering.
#3 – The pan is light enough that even an old guy like me can generate good flipping action.

It’s light because the sides, handle, and anti-drip lips are very thin. The pan is still durable though, because its material is ductile cast iron, which is tougher (less brittle) than the more common gray cast iron.

Despite the foregoing, I soon concluded that my turner worked better for me than pan-flipping. First, I could target those peppers most in need of turning. Second, the flexible turner blade proved to be a good utensil for pressing the peppers against the hot pan for fast blistering.

I put a little EVOO in the pan, then some peppers, and worked them about to get them coated with oil before setting the pan on my ceramic cooktop burner. It had been preheated to 7 (scale 0 to 9). About 5 minutes of cooking time for each batch of peppers. Three batches for the full 8 ounces, but I could’ve done it in two batches.

Yeah, they were good. One odd thing – the raw shishito peppers had an odd, plastic-like feel to them. Quite unlike any other peppers that I know of. About one in ten shishito peppers have a little bit of heat, about like a poblano. The rest had practically no heat.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
We've never had these, never heard of them. And then today I get an update on a local farm stand and they have Shishito Peppers! They only have a garden sale once a week, 4-6 on Thursdays, wife is heading there.

Update: The sale started a 4 PM, wife got there at 4:05 and there was one bag left! It's a really small place and she said it was crowded and stuff was disappearing fast. All those people must be on here!!

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
We've never had these, never heard of them. And then today I get an update on a local farm stand and they have Shishito Peppers!

Roast, grill, or broil those suckers up and let’s have a report!

Don’t forget to season them, they will need at least salt and pepper. I think the Japanese dip them in soy sauce.

if you pan fry and will use soy sauce, recommend adding soy sauce at the end of frying - fry the peppers with soy sauce at the end. (15 seconds on high heat). Not a lot of soy sauce, just a little bit to impart a complementary flavor and a light crust of Maillard soy sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
...recommend adding soy sauce at the end of frying - fry the peppers with soy sauce at the end. (15 seconds on high heat).

Great tip!

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
if you pan fry and will use soy sauce, recommend adding soy sauce at the end of frying - fry the peppers with soy sauce at the end. (15 seconds on high heat).

We fried them and then added soy at the end and a finishing salt my wife had. They were very good, my wife caught a bit of heat on two and I got a very mild hit on one. My wife is an exceptional cook and totally agreed that the soy was a big plus. Hopefully more next week.

UTsig - that looks yummy!

We also enjoy it with yakitori - japanese style chicken skewers. bite sized (brined) chicken thigh pieces on a skewer with shishito and sweet onions (really tokyo green onions which are much bigger than US green onions, so onions make do; I prefer sweet onions (maui, vidalia, etc)). At the end of grilling (over flame), brush with soy sauce or salt to taste.

Flame grilled shishito is good. Complements the grilled chicken well.

Oh, they are good as tempura too.

All these pics are making me hungry. I think the season is passed around here now - last I saw shishito here was 2 weeks ago. I'm looking at the pics w/ envy.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
All these pics are making me hungry. I think the season is passed around here now - last I saw shishito here was 2 weeks ago. I'm looking at the pics w/ envy.

Not sure where you are but Trader Joe's had them today, never seen them there before but never shopped for them either.

I wonder if you can freeze these peppers with any success ?

Thanks OP!

I cooked my second mess of shishito peppers yesterday. They were significantly better than the first. Why, I wondered…
Better peppers?
Because I blistered them more?
Because I applied soy sauce per konata88?

Dunno, but I’ll continue with the heavy blistering and soy sauce. They were sooo good! Very little heat, but marvelously good (and rich) flavor.

I cooked the first mess in a frying pan, expecting to flip them. But I soon discovered that my turner worked better. I could target those peppers most in need of flipping, and the flexible blade of the turner was good for pressing the peppers against the hot pan for faster blistering.



I used my wrought iron stovetop griddle for my second mess. Its vestigial sides made it easier to wield the turner.



Dang, these are good. I’m very happy to be a member of SIGforum where I learn of such goodies.