Blistered Shishito Peppers – Love and Lemons

Looking for a fun summer appetizer or snack? Make these blistered shishito peppers! Tender, charred, and topped with sesame oil, they’re always a hit.

I love the simplicity of this blistered shishito peppers recipe. It relies on just 3 main ingredients – shishito peppers, salt, and sesame oil – but it’s still flavorful, satisfying, and totally addictive. You might think you’re going to eat one pepper, maybe two, but before you know it, you’ll have devoured half the pan! Um…yes, I’m speaking from experience.

If you’re not familiar with shishito peppers, they’re small, thin-walled peppers that are traditionally used in Japanese and Korean cooking. These days, you can often find them at farmers markets in the US and at major grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Most of the time, shishitos have a sweet, mild flavor, but rumor has it that one in every ten peppers is spicy. If you’re sensitive to spice, be careful when you bite into one of these blistered shishito peppers!

How to Cook Shishito Peppers

This recipe uses my favorite method for how to cook shishito peppers. It’s insanely easy, which makes this recipe a great last-minute appetizer or side dish. Here’s how it goes:

First, preheat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. You want it to be nice and hot when you add the peppers, so let it warm up for a good minute or two. No need to worry about heating oil in the skillet – we’re going to cook the peppers in the dry pan.

When the skillet is hot, cook the peppers. Do your best to arrange them in a single layer in the skillet. Then, cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until they’re tender and blistering.

Finally, serve! Drizzle the blistered shishitos with toasted sesame oil and season them with salt. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds to take them over the top.

Blistered Shishito Peppers Serving Suggestions

When shishito peppers are in season, this recipe becomes one of my go-to appetizers. After I season the peppers with sesame oil and salt, I top them with sesame seeds and serve them with a tasty sauce for dipping. They’re fantastic with my creamy peanut sauce or sesame ginger dressing. In a pinch, plain tamari or soy sauce is a great choice too.

Serve them with drinks for a fun summer happy hour, or make them part of a larger meal. They pair well with Asian-inspired dishes like these soba noodles and okonomiyaki. I also like them with classic cookout fare. Serve them as a side dish with veggie burgers or black bean burgers, and they’ll vanish in no time.

How do you like to serve shishito peppers? Let me know in the comments!

More Favorite Pepper Recipes

If you love this shishito peppers recipe, try one of these pepper recipes next:

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 8 mins

Serves 2 to 4

This blistered shishito peppers recipe is such a fun appetizer or snack! If you’re sensitive to spice, proceed with caution – about 1 in 10 of these usually sweet peppers is spicy.

• 8 ounces shishito peppers
• Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
• Sea salt
• Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
• Tamari, for serving
• Peanut Sauce, for serving

• Heat a large cast iron skillet to high heat. Add the peppers to the dry skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and blistering, about 6 to 8 minutes. As you work, try to keep the peppers in a single layer so that they make consistent contact with the hot pan.

• Drizzle the peppers with sesame oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and sesame seeds. Serve with tamari and peanut sauce, for dipping.