Shishito Peppers
Hello My Foodie Best Friends!
This month, I would like to introduce you to my good friend and current obsession, shishito peppers. If shishito peppers were a real life person, I would be cyber stalking them late into the night in an unhealthy fashion.
Shishito peppers, Capsicum annuum, is a small and thin-walled East Asian variety of pepper. About a finger length long, its cousins are bell peppers, jalapeños, New Mexico chile, and cayenne peppers. However, they do not contain much heat. Usually harvested green, they turn red with age.
The name shishito is written 唐 獅子 in kanji or in hiragana ししと in Japanese. Just for fun, let's break down the kanji. 獅 means lion, 子 means child, and 唐 means T’ang Dynasty China. I like this literal translation. Not only does it give you an indication of the origin of the pepper, but also how it looks. Its head resembles a small lion.
A popular Izakaya bar food in Japan, people devour large plates and wash it down with a large glass of ice cold beer. After a dizzying food fueled night roaming Memory Lane in Shinjuku, Tokyo, a heavenly scent of blistered peppers led me into a small izakaya. The chef was turning out plates of shishito peppers coated in a thin layer of grapeseed oil, sprinkled with arashio salt and blistered on top of heat that was probably close to the surface of the sun. In very poor, broken Japanese, I asked the chef how he prepared the peppers. He had a good laugh at me and served me a plate of these delights. After a couple of beers, this pepper was my new best friend.
Available at most supermarkets, you can easily blister up your own batch of these beauties. Don’t forget the beer.
Blistered Shishito Pepper and Shrimp with Miso Glaze
Shrimp and Shishito peppers are perfect small plate appetizer for many social activities where finger food is ideal. Serving in a large platter makes for easy presentation on a buffet. Shishito peppers are a low capsaicin pepper option for those sensitive to heat. Miso ups the flavor and umami to balance the dish.
This dish is prepared in a cast iron pan for those who do not have access to an outdoor grill.
12 Shrimp size 16-20 or larger*
12 Shishito Peppers
2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
2 teaspoons Flake Salt**
Miso Glaze
¼ cup Water
3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
¼ cup Brown Sugar
¼ cup Mirin
¼ cup Sake
2 Tablespoons Red Miso Paste
Fresh Ginger about 1 inch long
For the miso glaze:
Peel the ginger using a potato peeler. Using the fine side of a box grater or micro plane, zest the fresh ginger until you have about 1 inch teaspoon.
Place all ingredients for the miso glaze into a small saucepan and whisk until combined.
Simmer over medium heat until thickened.
For the peppers and shrimp:
Using a cast iron or heavy gauge fry pan, heat until you can feel intense heat radiating from the surface. Toss the shishito peppers with a small amount of oil until they are lightly coated. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the peppers to the dry fry pan. Allow the pepper to blister on each side. Remove from pan. Place in a 170° Fahrenheit oven to keep warm.
Place the shrimp on a paper towel and dab off all water from the surface. Place in a bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the shrimp to the hot, unoiled fry pan. Once you see pink forming on the side that is in contact with the fry pan, flip. If your shrimp stick, they are not ready to flip. They will release from the pan when they are ready. Patience is key. Remove when both sides are cooked.
Place the shrimp and peppers on skewers and coat with the miso glaze.
*What do the numbers on my shrimp package mean? Shrimp are graded by size, which can range from 400 per pound to 8 per pound. Shrimp are sold in counts per pound. For example, shrimp marketed as “16-20 count” means that there is an average of 16 to 20 pieces of shrimp per pound.
*It is recommended in this recipe to use flake salt, like kosher or arashio. The large, flat crystals of salt will stick to the oiled surface of the shrimp and peppers.
