Sautéed Shishito Peppers

This summer was the first season I've managed to grow and maintain a vegetable garden with any kind of success. Sure, there was plenty to deal with - an aphid infestation, a dozen or so ravenous hornworms, one-too-many moldy tomatoes - but it's been a deeply satisfying process. What's not to love about having regular access to super fresh, super delicious produce that I wouldn't otherwise buy? Take Japanese shishito peppers, for example.

The shishito plant doing its thing... peppers still too small to harvest.

I've had shishitos before, but only out at restaurants. Sweet, mild, and tasty, with that little bit of bite you get with all green peppers. But it never really crossed my mind to seek them out at a market. When I saw some small shishito plants on sale at the Venice Japanese Community Center's summer festival, though, I was quick to swoop one up. Into the vegetable garden it went, and about six weeks later full grown shishitos were ready to harvest.

My first thought was to batter and fry them, tempura style. Meh, too much work and too much to clean up. I googled it and up came this much-loved recipe for sautéed shishitos, and you only need olive oil, a little sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Perfect.

Gone in no time.

The only problem is that the plant's not keeping up with my appetite! I knew I should have picked up a couple more. So tasty.

Sautéed Shishito Peppers

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Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy

A nice, simple saute in the pan is great way to enjoy these craveable, sweet, mildly spicy little peppers. If you're growing them yourself, wait until they're 3-4 inches long before harvesting. I haven't experienced this yet, but I've read that 1 in 12 are ridiculously hot, so be forewarned. Use about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per 10-12 peppers.
 

Ingredients

  • Shishito peppers, rinsed and thoroughly dried
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt, preferably flake salt
  • Lemon
     

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add shishitos to the pan and toss. Turn regularly for 12-15 minutes, until they are nice and soft and blistered all over. A little char is okay, but don't let them get too blackened.
     
  2. Remove from heat and toss with a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. Taste. Season more if necessary.
     
  3. Serve hot and eat them up (minus the stem, of course).