Shishito Peppers are a petit pepper variety with a highly distinctive flavor profile. Every pepper is a bright green color, with some ripening further to acquire an orange tinge. With thinner walls and a slender form, Shishito Peppers are a great appetizer and personally I've enjoyed them with rice dishes and with steak and fries and have eaten them on their own while watching Netflix. It's the perfect snack!

My wife and I even love it as a side dish along with our soft scrambled eggs. We swear by it and it totally works! These are super versatile mild peppers and this recipe is literally done in 7 minutes with prep time included!

What is the Best Way to Eat Shishito Peppers?

They are a mild-flavored pepper that's slightly smokey and not too spicy with a slight pleasant bitter flavor. They are best eaten sauteed in a pan with a little bit of oil until the skin blisters and with salt and pepper

What is Special About Shishito Peppers?

This main question leads to another question which is “why are only some shishito peppers hot?”

The reason behind the variance in heat of many chili peppers from pepper to pepper is due to the amount of capsaicin produced during growing. It’s the capsaicin that creates that burning sensation chilies are known for.

But I have to tell you, I’ve never actually had a super spicy one and I’ve eaten hundreds of these babies. But then, again my spice tolerance is higher than most.

I just love the flavor of these peppers and my friends are always surprised by how good they taste. On the Scoville scale rating system they are roughly between 50-200 Scovilles, but if you happen to get a really spicy one then it can go up to 2000 Scovilles. They say that 1 in 10 are spicy. Want to play some Russian roullete?

Are Shishito and Padrón Peppers the Same?

They are different peppers, but they both are mild spiced peppers are often cooked and served whole even with the stem end. A recipe that is suitable for shishito peppers is most likely also suitable for Padrón peppers.

Padrón peppers originate from Nothern Spain, while shishito peppers are grown in East Asia. Although they do look similar in shape and color, Shishitos are wrinklier and are not as spicy.

Where to buy them?

Here in Indonesia, I have access to two kinds of shishito peppers. The long thin ones I bought from a Korean grocery store and the other wider variety I bought from a Japanese grocer. I find that the long thin ones are more fiery in terms of their spice levels compared to the fatter and wider shishito peppers. Have you experienced this as well?

I'd love to read your comments if you’ve experienced the same or even if you've experienced something different. Some Asian markets or grocers carry them in the vegetable section. Here in Indonesia, I can even buy them online and have them delivered.

I've seen at least 10 different recipes when it comes to shishitos. Some are served with a little olive oil, lime juice, or a squeeze of fresh lemon with a bit of sea salt or kosher salt and pepper seasoning.

But I've also seen more Asian-based recipes that use sesame seeds, or a little toasted sesame oil. And if you like a bit more spice then feel free to add some more red pepper flakes. One thing I do highly recommend when cooking shishitos is to get them to a stage where you have blistered the skin of shishito peppers until they reach a black char.

Do You Remove Seeds from Shishito Peppers?

No need to fuss with removing the seeds from shishito peppers—they’re perfectly fine to use as they are! While many think chili pepper seeds bring the heat, it’s actually the inner ribs that pack the spicy punch. The best part about shishito peppers, which have been stealing the spotlight lately, is their mild, approachable flavor that makes them a hit in any dish.

**Finger-like Shaped Shishito Peppers**
Long and slender, these shishito peppers resemble delicate fingers with a slightly wrinkled texture.

Shishito Peppers Recipe

**Shorter, Bulbous Shape:**
Short and plump with a rounded, bulbous appearance, these shishito peppers have a charmingly stout profile. In this Image you can see that I added about 1 gram of garlic powder, but you can simply omit if you don’t have any.

Ingredients

150g of shishito peppers washed
1 Tsp olive oil (5g)
1/4 tsp salt (1g)
1/4 tsp pepper (1g)

Sauteed Shishito Peppers Cooking Instructions

Step 1. Coat the shishito peppers with olive oil, just use your hands to cover the peppers

Step 2. In a medium-high heat pan that's hot add the peppers in a single layer in the pan and let them sit for about a 90-seconds before flipping them over for another 90-second. (I’ve literally timed this with my stopwatch app on my phone, but timing may vary depending on the intensity of your heat)

Step 3. Once you have blisters on both sides it’s time to add the spice mixture and cook for an additional 2 minutes and toss it a few times in the pan, as you don't want to get the peppers overly burnt.

NOTE: You’ll see brown blisters start forming. Check my picture for a reference of what the blisters should look like. The total cooking time is roughly about 5 minutes. If you're not getting the blisters within the first few minutes then your heat isn't high enough and you'll want to turn up the heat.

Variations in Spices

The ready-made Japanese salt and pepper seasoning is my personal favorite, but you can also use onion or garlic powder. Try adding 1/2 tsp at a time to see how you like the flavor.

A squeeze of lime or lemon juice at around the last 30 seconds of cooking.

What to Serve it With?

Serve as a side dish with steaming hot rice and my chicken teriyaki dish
Or just eat on its own as a tasty snack.
I’ve also had this as a side dish with a really nice medium-rare steak. I’m telling you, it’s heavenly!
Make a simple Sriracha Mayonnaise dip, just mix in equal parts of mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce and dip in the peppers

Easy Sauteed Shishito Peppers Recipe in 7 Minutes

Yield 3

Author Hunger Hugs

Prep time

1 Min

Cook time

6 Min

Total time

7 Min