Roasted Shishito Peppers

Serve these spicy roasted shishito peppers as a fun & healthy appetizer for your next summer cookout! Peanut and miso dipping sauces up the fun & flavor.

Before this year, I don’t think we even knew shishito peppers existed. Now we can’t get enough of them. They seem to be on the menu of nearly every restaurant we frequent and we’ve ordered them countless times… finally, I started making them at home. And I’ll tell you, they are just as good. And as with any simple vegetable preparation, the goodness is likely due to the fact that we’ve had really amazing ones available to us all summer long at our farmers markets.

The fun thing about eating these mildly sweet peppers is the fearful anticipation that you’ll get a hot one. I’m all for spicy food, but surprise spicy food is that much more fun.


Roasted Shishito Peppers

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • A few big handfuls of shishito peppers
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and fresh black pepper
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Peanut dipping sauce:
  • A few scoops peanut butter
  • Splash soy sauce
  • Splash rice vinegar
  • Pinch sugar
  • Squirt sriracha
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Spread the peppers on a sheet of foil, drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Close foil and bake for 5-7 minutes. I like to then open the foil and turn on the broiler for an additional 2 minutes. Be sure to cook the peppers until they have black, blistered marks.
  3. Let the peppers cool and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds, if using. Make the peanut dipping sauce by stirring together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sriracha. Alternatively, serve with miso dipping sauce.
  4. You can also cook the peppers on high heat in a skillet or on a grill.
Notes
I get these peppers from our farmers market. I’ve heard you can also get them at Japanese specialty markets. Availability will vary by region and season, and I’ve never seen them in any conventional grocery store.

 

 

 

 

 

8 comments

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  1. Carrie
    05.11.2013

    I just bought a shishito pepper plant at the farmer’s market today, not having any idea what kind of peppers they were. I’ve saved this so when they hopefully grow, I will have some clue as to what to do with them! Thanks!

  2. Shishito peppers are one of my favorite izakaya snacks, but I haven’t tried making them at home yet…love the dipping sauces!

  3. Kasey from turntablekitchen.com
    08.08.2012

    Shishito peppers (and padrons) have become a staple at our markets. I first started seeing them a few summers ago and now I’m pretty much addicted. I love the idea of dipping them in a sauce! Lovely photos.

  4. Elliott from fforfood.blogspot.com
    08.07.2012

    Sunbutter!?! First of all, the name alone is so precious it makes me want to pull my hair out! And I tell you what, I love a shisito pepper, all blistery and hot and awesome. I always order them on a menu but have never really considered preparing them at home. But WHY NOT?
    Thanks!!

  5. Kristen from dineanddish.net
    08.07.2012

    Oh my – what a beautiful, delicious idea for a dish… I love that the surprise inside may be a super hot one. Gotta love that.

    Off to see if I can find these at our outdoor market today!

  6. Jennifer from blog.jchongstudio.com
    08.06.2012

    looks super tasty – just wanted to say i love everything about your blog! 🙂

  7. Kathryn from londonbakes.com
    08.06.2012

    These sound like an Asian version of pimientos de padron (one of my favourite Spanish dishes ever) so I’m definitely on board with these!

  8. So simple and gorgeous! I see these little guys everywhere now too! Guess you are on trend with what’s what in food!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.