Japanese Shishito Peppers with Miso Butter
These Japanese shishito peppers are easy and take 10 minutes to make. They work great as an appetizer or snack and are light and refreshing!
What are shishito peppers?
Shishito peppers are small green peppers that have a thin-walled skin, are two to four inches long, and have irregular ridges with chewable seeds inside. They taste like a green bell pepper with a slight peppercorn taste, and char easily on a grill. These peppers originated from Japan, where the words stems from shishi meaning “lion” and tōgarashi for “chili pepper.”
Are shishito peppers spicy?
Supposedly, one in ten shisito peppers will turn out to be spicy. However the vast majority of them will be mild like a green bell pepper. I have yet to have a spicy one and am still waiting to be surprised!
How to cook shishito peppers
These peppers can be pan-blistered or grilled to achieve that smokey char on them.
To cook them, toss them in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of oil until they are coated. Because of all the irregular shapes and ridges, it’s important to toss them instead of adding oil to the pan.
Then add them to a cast iron pan on high heat or throw on the grill for 3-4 minutes until charred and blistered, then flip for another 2-3 minutes. They should have black and brown spots on them where the pan or grill was touching them, but still retain a green color.
Japanese-inspired seasoning
For a Japanese-style appetizer, I like to mix together melted butter and miso paste after the peppers have been cooked for a umami taste. I also sprinkle with furikake seasoning, which is made of sesame seeds, seaweed flakes, bonito fish flakes, salt and sugar. If you don’t have furikake on hand or are unable to find it, you can use either a dash of soy sauce, a spicy mayo dip, or just plain salt and pepper. All great options!
This appetizer is best eaten right away because they will become soggy!
What to serve with this recipe
Japanese Shishito Peppers with Miso Butter
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of shisito peppers
- 2 teaspoons of oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1-2 tablespoons of furikake to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet to high heat.
- In a bowl toss the peppers with a neutral oil.
- Sauté until the one side for about 3-4 minutes until charred and blistered. Then turn over to the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
- While the peppers are cooking, mix together the melted butter and miso paste.
- Remove the peppers from the pan and place in a serving bowl. Pour the miso-butter over the peppers, and toss so evenly coated. Sprinkle with furikake.
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This is kind of silly but the idea of hand rubbing the peppers with the oil instead of adding the oil to a hot pan is genius. A lot less messy too. Thanks!