shishito
Every week, A Word on Food will give you a term that will make your mouth water. Happy eating.
Shishito [shih-sheetoh]: A sweet, slender, Japanese pepper. One in about every 10 can have a kick.
Origin: Japanese
The shishito is a sweet thin pepper, except for a few wild catches. For reasons unknown, about 1 in 10 shishitos has a surprising, but not alarming, burst of heat. If you do get that one hot shishito, don’t worry, even the hottest shishitos aren’t nearly as hot as a jalapeno.
This perfect finger food is simple, easy and a bit daring. When cooked, shishitos slightly blister and make for a sweet, tender bite. They are usually accompanied only by fresh coarse sea salt. They have been described as having a grassy and slightly citrusy flavor, with a hint of smoke. These finger-length slender pods have a thin skin that gets slightly wrinkled and crispy when blistered.
Some say the shishito has a bulbous end that looks like a lion’s head. According to pepperscale.com, the name shishito actually comes from a mix of two Japanese words: “shishi,” which means lion, and “togarashi,” which means chili pepper.
Shishitos have been rising in popularity not only for their taste, but also for their simple preparation that makes them a perfect snack, party appetizer or side dish to change things up. Simply place them in a hot skillet for a few minutes and sprinkle with sea salt. The perfect blend of sweet and salty is all you need. You can pick them up by their long thin stems and eat the whole pepper, including the seeds.
See how easy it really is by trying this three-ingredient recipe for blistered shishito peppers, courtesy of Bon Appétit.
Blistered shishito peppers
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups whole shishito peppers or Padrón chiles
Flaky sea salt
Directions:
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
Yes … that’s it!
For variety, some people use flavored salts on top such as basil salt, while others use toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil to blister the peppers. You can find shishitos in most Asian markets, but also many farmers markets and groceries stores such as Trader Joe’s.
Even though they are of Japanese origin, shishito peppers show up on the menus of many tapas and Mediterranean restaurants.
Find them on the tapas menus at Barcelona Wine Bar, Boqueria, Mintwood Place and many more restaurants in Washington and around the country.
