- Prep Time: 2 min.
- Cook Time: 5 min.
- Yield: 4 servings
Simple, smokey, spicy, mmmm! This recipe is a cocktail party crowd-pleaser. In just a few minutes, you will have delicious bites for you and your guests to eat by hand along with your beverages.
Actually, these small peppers make excellent garnishes for the rims of cocktail glasses or beer tumblers. I wouldn’t recommend them to accompany wine.
The Shishito pepper (named for the tip of the pepper, togarashi” in Japanese means resembling the head of a lion, “shishi”) is popular (if not native to) Japan and Korea. They tend toward the sweet, mild side; however, about one in every 10 or 12 Shishitos will be quite hot.
I prefer fleur de sel for almost any recipe where an after-cooking sprinkle is required: pommes frites, these peppers, grilled mushrooms, etc.
This queen of salts is hand-harvested in the north of France, from the Northwestern shores of Brittany more specifically, and is coveted by gourmet chefs across the world.
It is indeed costly, but this briny salt imparts such a unique flavor to your dishes. It’s a “must-have” in my kitchen. If you cannot find fleur de sel, any coarse salt, such as Kosher salt, will do.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces of Shishito peppers
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 pinches fleur de sel
Instructions
- Set the oven to broil.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the Shishito peppers on the foil and toss them with the olive oil, then the sesame oil.
- Place the sheet pan under the broiler, and rotate the peppers every minute until the skins begin to blister and blacken.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it sit undisturbed for one minute. Sprinkle the Shishito peppers with the fleur de sel, and serve!
- That’s it! Next, I will concoct a roasted Shishito and bacon-rimmed martini. Stay tuned!
