Shishito peppers are everywhere recently. I love ordering them as a side dish whichever way they are served. At home, I usually fry them in a skillet if I’m making a portion or two. However, I love to serve Grilled Shishito Peppers if we are having a cookout or BBQ with lots of family and friends!!
Are Shishito Peppers Spicy?
Shishito peppers are long and thin peppers that are the perfect size for an appetizer. They always give the impression that they’re spicy but most of them are not. Most of them are actually mild but there’s an occasional one here or there that has some kick to it.
Seasonings Shishito Peppers
Shishito peppers have such a distinct taste, no matter how you cook them. As long as you blister or char them, their flavor will come through and it’s sooo amazing!!
So in my opinion, you don’t need to overseason them. Keep it simple, grill or fry them. Then serve a dip of your choice to enhance or compliment the flavor.
When I grill the peppers, usually I just drizzle olive oil over them, add some lemon juice and sprinkle some Mediterranean sea salt over them. That’s it!! It can’t get easier than that:).
I season them over the grilling tray already, however I keep a platter or container underneath the tray so I don’t make a mess in my counter (oil and lemon juice would drip from the tray).
Tips For Grilling Shishito Peppers
Grilling these peppers is so easy, it might be intuitive to some of you especially if you’re used to grilling. If you’re new to grilling, then these tips might help out.
- you can use indoor grill or grill pan over stovetop as well as outdoor grill (either charcoal or gas).
- On the outdoor grill, I prefer charcoal if we are grilling several items including meat or poultry. However, if I’m grilling just few vegetables then gas grill is my friend. Our grill is a dual grill with both charcoal and gas and we love having the flexibility of both.
- Whichever grill type you’re using you have to heat it up to medium-high heat. Usually on the charcoal side, we cook the meats/chicken first then the vegetables. I find that the temperature works out much better that way. When using the gas grill, heat to high then once you add the peppers in the tray, lower to medium-high.
- Use metal tongs to check on the peppers. Their skin will puff up and it can even pop, so be careful. Flip the peppers once you see a charred surface. Remove them one by one when they’re blistered or charred on both sides. Move peppers on the edges closer to center as peppers grill.
Grilled Shishito Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb shishito peppers
- 1-2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 lemon
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash, drain and dry the shishito peppers. Set aside.
- Light up the grill and pre-heat to medium high.
- Add peppers to grilling tray. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle flaky sea salt over the peppers. Squeeze lemon and add fresh lemon juice to the peppers. Usually I add a platter under the grilling tray to avoid the oil and lemon juice to spill all over the counter.
- Add grilling tray to preheated grill. Let the peppers char and blister, then with metal tongs flip them to the other side. Let grill for few minutes and then remove and add to a platter.
Video
Notes
- My favorite dip is this Garlic, Cilantro Yogurt Dip to serve with this peppers. Other dips would be tzatziki, aji amarillo dip, aioli etc.
- Nutrition values are estimated.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
No you don’t! Shishito peppers can be fried or grilled as they are, no need to remove the seeds. This makes prepping & cooking these peppers so easy.
I’ve seen them served quite a lot with aioli or a mayonnaise based dip. I love serving them with aji amarillo (spicy Andean sauce with yellow peppers) dip or with my Cilantro-Yogurt and Garlic Dip
If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know in comments if you have any questions, if you cook these peppers a different way or dips you use. I’m always up for learning different methods:)). Tag me social media if you did make the recipe, I love seeing your creations!! Thank you again!!
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Other Peppers Recipes from my Blog
Ok if you read up to here, I guess you love peppers like I do. And I tell you I love, love, love peppers!
Feel free to check out some of my other recipes:
- Albanian Stuffed Peppers
- Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers
- Roasted Mini-Peppers
- Red Pepper Dip with Feta Cheese
- Instant Pot Marinated Red Peppers
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