Shishito Peppers – the New Hot Thing

By Lori Powell

I’m kind of on a vegetable kick at the moment but then, isn’t that what summer is all about? Before we know it, fall’s chill will be in the air and the summer harvest will disappear. Not that I am lamenting summer just yet but I’m really embracing the last two months of the earth’s seasonal bounty.

Every weekend I go to the farmers’ market, whether I’m in Pennsylvania, New York City, Upstate New York or even while on vacation. It is my kind of candy shop.

I always find something that thrills and amazes me…farmers are constantly up to growing something new, either for chefs or for their own experimentation. So last week, it was all things fresh beans, and this week, it’s about another new food find, shishito peppers.

Shishito peppers are a Japanese small green chile pepper about 2 to 4 inches in length and ½-inch wide, finger-sized, bearing a thin skin. They are the hot new thing on restaurant menus with one exception: they are not so hot (spicy) in taste but are generally mild with a sweet kind of jalapeno green flavor that occasionally gives you a surprise kick of heat.

Apparently one out of ten are spicy depending on the growing season and whether or not the plant has been stressed. Even the seeds are edible. Another bonus is they are high in vitamin C.

Pick bright green, unblemished peppers and store them in the fridge until ready to use. For cooking, I simply pan fry them but you could grill or broil them as well. Pair with fish or steak, add to a stir-fry or eat as an appetizer. I call them my new healthy finger food snack!

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Pan Fried Shishito Peppers
Serves 1 or 2

1 cup shishito peppers, rinsed and dried well
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Lemon or lime wedges

1. Pat peppers dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a heavy medium skillet over moderately high heat. Add peppers and toss with tongs occasionally (stand back as they are known to spit from time to time), until peppers are blistered, golden brown and slightly charred, about 2 minutes depending on the heat of your skillet.
2. Transfer to paper towels to drain and immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot with lemon wedges to squeeze over the peppers.

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