7 Amazing Ways To Eat Shishito Peppers

best shishito pepper ideas

Flickr/ Jeff Shewan

For a simple flavorful snack that’ll easily make you look like you know what you’re doing in the kitchen, buy some shishito peppers. These East Asian peppers are small, slender and about the length of your finger. The taste ranges from sweet, pungent and fruity to a little smokey. Shishitos can vary from green to red in color, although green is the most common.

But here’s the kicker: About one in every 10 of these peppers are really spicy, which can make for a fun game at any dinner party. These bite-sized peppers are delicious when served plain and fire-roasted (AKA the most common way you’ll see them on restaurant menus), there are a ton of ways to get creative with them. Here are seven amazing ways to eat shishito peppers.

1. Shishito Tacos

While shishito peppers are an awesome crunchy snack, they’re just as good when they’re sauteed until they’re tender and served inside of a taco. These creamy shishito pepper tacos with lime and caramelized onions will give you an entirely new perspective on these crunchy bite-sized peppers. It’s also worth giving these ancho chile chicken tacos with scallions, red cabbage and ancho chile paste a try.

2. Shishito Soup

Depending on what season it is, you can use shishito peppers to make both chilled and hot soups. Here’s a refreshing chilled shishito pepper soup with cucumber. And for those days when you need something to warm you up, try this creamy red shishito pepper soup with avocado and cilantro.

3. Pan-Fried Shishitos

You might get a nice charred look by grilling your shishito peppers, but if you don’t have access to a grill, pan-fried shishito peppers are just as good. These pan-fried shishitos are sauteed with lemon, garlic and sea salt. And if you like everything on the spicy side, these Asian-style shishitos are pan-fried with toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes and garlic.

4. Shishito Salad

best shishito pepper ideas

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You could use shishito peppers as a crunchy addition to your salad or you could use them to make a salad dressing. Try this recipe for an heirloom tomato salad with a shishito pepper vinaigrette or this summery salad with watermelon, feta and charred shishito peppers.

5. Skewered Shishitos

Looking for an easy way to grill up your shishito peppers? Skewer them with your choice of protein and some fruit or other vegetables. These beef and shishito pepper skewers with Sichuan salt are an impressive snack to make for any barbecue. And if you’re into shrimp, these shishito and shrimp skewers with chimichurri are right up your alley.

6. Tempura Shishitos

For a comforting appetizer, you should learn how to make yourself some tempura-battered shishito peppers. This pepper recipe calls for a batter of flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and beer, as well as a spicy Korean mayo for dipping. This tempura shishito recipe has a batter that’s a little less heavy paired with a soy and cilantro dipping sauce. As long as you have a heavy-bottomed pot and oil with a high smoke point, you can tempura just about anything.

7. Pickled Shishitos

Pickling is a great way to add an entirely new layer of flavor to your peppers, and you can easily do it at home. The prep time for pickling will only take you around 15 minutes and then you can let your shishito peppers hang out in the fridge for a week or so until they start to take on that briny taste. Here’s an easy recipe for pickled shishito peppers to get you started. You can add these babies to your tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches or even your Bloody Mary cocktails.