Blistered Shishito Peppers
Marian Bull
Photo by Eric Moran
- Serves
- 2 to 4, as an appetizer
This technique comes from Molly Wizenberg and Brandon Pettit, owners of Seattle's Delancey restaurant. They make theirs in a very very hot pizza oven, cooked in olive oil -- the oven is so hot that the peppers cook before the olive oil has time to burn! At home, you can easily use grapeseed oil or another oil with a high smoke point. They are addictive, and will cause you to anticipate shishito peppers in the late summer the way that many anticipate ramps, then berries, then tomatoes. I recommend salting recklessly.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shishito peppers, preferably with stem intact
- Grapeseed oil (or another oil with a high smoke point)
- Flaky salt
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Featured Video
Directions
- Step 1
First, clean and dry your peppers well.
- Step 2
Heat your oil over medium-high heat in a wok or cast iron skillet. Add peppers to the pan in one layer; don't overcrowd them. Don't stir; let them sit and allow them to blister. Turn them once they begin to char and sizzle; they should have brown-to-black patches on a few sides.
- Step 3
Once they are "tender to the tooth", as Molly says, remove them from the pan and drain them on paper towels. Salt them with abandon. Seriously, don't hold back. Add a squeeze of lime. Enjoy immediately.