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Shishito peppers all the rage

Grass Snake

Grass Snake

Here in Dallas I've been hearing about Shishito peppers growing in popularity at high end restaurants. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about so I bought some at my local market. They go for about $8 a lb. The guy at market said they dont last long either. I bought what they had left that wasnt even a qtr pound just to try them out. Honestly, they werent bad but I do think they are over priced. Well anyway, a couple weeks later I go into the korean mart and they are selling a suspiciously similar pepper for 1.50lb. They have a mountain of them and labled sweet pepper. I bought a bag to take home to compare and wouldn't you know it, the same pepper! I thought wow! I wonder if anyone else knows about this. Thought I would share and save people some money.
 
filmost said:
They are a Japanese sweet pepper, though random pods can pack a decent amount of heat. It's like playing pepper roulette. We usually stir fry them or grill them on skewers. Also great for tempura.
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I find them refreshing as a snacking pepper. It is like roulette but even the hottest ones are like a mild Jalapeno. I convinced my daughter to try one and she got lucky to get a hot one. She wasn't to happy with me. 
 
Grass Snake said:
I find them refreshing as a snacking pepper. It is like roulette but even the hottest ones are like a mild Jalapeno. I convinced my daughter to try one and she got lucky to get a hot one. She wasn't to happy with me. 
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Haha, I have had ones that were hotter than Jalapenos and that made me cough from the surprise.
 
I love shishito's. I like serving them with a steak smothered in caramelized onions and mushrooms. I also ran in to the Korean and Japanese conundrum that you did, same flavor, same heat, same pod flesh thickness. I agree that some are hotter than others, but I've never had one come close to my average jalapeno - but then again I usually find that my home grown peppers are hotter than those found in the average market.
 
I hadn't paid much attention to them, until my neighbor, a 30 year chili head, gave me a couple of starter plants.  Our Whole Foods carries the peppers along side more traditional store peppers like orange habaneros.  I will probably grow them next year.
 
Here is just a basic starter recipe to get you going on blistered Shishitos with bonito flakes.
 
2 cups or handfuls of shishito peppers (leave the stem on, easier to eat with) 
2 T. extra virgin olive oil 
pinch of 2 sea salt
 
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over very high heat. 
2. Toss the peppers with the extra virgin olive oil or add the oil directly to the pan. 
3. Add the peppers on the hot skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until the peppers have softened and are charred in spots. 
4. Remove from heat and pour in a bowl or serving dish and sprinkle with kosher salt 
5. Eat immediately. 
Optional: cook as directed, add soy sauce and bonito flakes at the end. 
 
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I have 255 plants in the ground & the annuums are just starting to come in. 2 here, 1 there, another there. I had never tried Shishitos & almost didn't plant them. Picked & fried up 5 pods today & am looking forward to more pods. Very good taste & consistency & just the right amount of heat for capsaicin-phobic family members. Yum.
 
pepperrookie said:
I hadn't paid much attention to them, until my neighbor, a 30 year chili head, gave me a couple of starter plants.  Our Whole Foods carries the peppers along side more traditional store peppers like orange habaneros.  I will probably grow them next year.
 
Here is just a basic starter recipe to get you going on blistered Shishitos with bonito flakes.
 
2 cups or handfuls of shishito peppers (leave the stem on, easier to eat with) 
2 T. extra virgin olive oil 
pinch of 2 sea salt
 
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over very high heat. 
2. Toss the peppers with the extra virgin olive oil or add the oil directly to the pan. 
3. Add the peppers on the hot skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until the peppers have softened and are charred in spots. 
4. Remove from heat and pour in a bowl or serving dish and sprinkle with kosher salt 
5. Eat immediately. 
Optional: cook as directed, add soy sauce and bonito flakes at the end. 
 
3.jpg
Click to expand...
I do this with pimiento de padron where in they are mild you get that one that is WHOA where'd that come from 
 
Don't forget the Bonito Flakes.  It was kind of an afterthought in the above recipe, but the salty flakes sound yummy to me.  The Japanese name is Katsuobushi which refers to shaved, dried, smoked and fermented bonito!  Sound familiar?  We smoke, dry, ferment and slice our fresh peppers pods! Under $7 for a package of flakes, it has many uses in rice, soups and first courses like blistered Shishito peppers!  Enjoy!
 
 
 
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I grew 2 Shishitos, both in pots this year. One is more or less normal except that the peppers are a bit small (from pictures I've seen) and one in ten are hot.  The other one (both from the same seed packet) is in a bit smaller pot (6") and the pods are a bit smaller, but the weird thing is that 9 out of 10 are hot.  The first picture is the hot ones and the 2nd are the mild.
 
 

 
 
 
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