Q: I recently had some delicious shishito peppers at a restaurant and I want to try and make some myself. Does anyone have ideas about how to prepare them? Or suggestions for what they might go well with?
Sent by Madeleine
Editor: Madeleine, I like to toss whole shishito peppers with a little oil and cook them on a grill pan or cast iron skillet until they are soft and blistered, then sprinkle them with a little sea salt before eating. This is a popular Japanese bar snack, so I like eating them as an appetizer with drinks, or alongside other grilled vegetables and meats.
Readers, how do you prepare shishito peppers and what do you serve with them?
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Agree with preparation tips, but as far as what to serve them with: I once went to a restaurant which served them with miso mayonnaise, which was unbelievable. Char them up as written above, then whisk together 2 tbsp miso and 1 cup good mayonnaise. Dip away.
I go to a restaurant that serves them with flavored salts on the side for dipping. They use green tea salt, hickory, and yuzu salts-- you could just do smoked salt at home.
Girl and the Goat in Chicago serves them tossed with parmesan, sesame seeds and miso. Adds an umami-salt bomb to the peppers.
I toss mine with oil and salt and roast them in the oven. They're great on their own or with a nice whipped goat cheese dip.
This is the korean way of preparing it. I think it's similar to the japanese way. But I got my mother to teach me this before I went to college!
Basic asian frying ingredients - soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, korean chili powder (or cayenne works!), a little honey/sugar
http://mdcooksfor2.blogspot.com/2012/08/seasoned-shishito-peppers-ggwarigochu.html
I heat up a cast iron skillet til it is really really smoking hot with some canola oil and a bit of sesame oil for flavor. I then throw in the shishito peppers and blister them. I remove them quickly and toss them in a little soy sauce and serve. I'm obsessed.
I've been keeping my eyes open at the grocery for these, but I can never seem to find them. Are they a seasonal item?
If you are in NYC they always have them in stock at Manhattan Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market. They looked crappy though this week so I skipped them.
Skewer them, then roast them on the BBQ, finish off with a sprinkling of Hawaiian salt
I became addicted to these at a great Chinese restaurant in Palm Springs, CA. I live in the Chicago area and could not find them in any of the stores. Being a gardener, I Googled the source of seeds. I planted six seeds and got enough peppers to last us for several months. Seeds can be purchased from Kitazawa Seed Co in Oakland, CA. Seeds@kitazawaseed.co A generous supply of seeds in a pack at $3.49.
You might try this:
Deep fried then sprinkled with salt. They're great this way and they're good as a side. (I had them like this is Spain)
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/vegetariantapasrecipes/r/friedpadronpeppers.htm