Blistered Shishito Peppers
Updated Mar 04, 2025, Published Sep 02, 2024
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Blistered Shishito Peppers are a delightful appetizer ready in almost the blink of an eye! Seasoned with togarashi seasoning, their vibrant green color and slightly smoky, charred flavor combine simplicity with sophistication!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Bring some excitement to your appetizer table with simple yet sophisticated blistered shishito peppers!
These small, thin-skinned peppers require no prep work, yet they’re big on flavor. They are quickly blistered in a cast iron skillet, allowing their natural sweetness to shine while adding a subtle hint of heat from Japanese togarashi seasoning. With their tender texture and mildly spicy profile, shishito peppers are perfect for sharing.
When blistered, shishito peppers offer a dynamic contrast of flavors that pairs beautifully with the togarashi, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a light squeeze of fresh lime juice.
This Japanese shishito peppers recipe is:
- Super quick and easy!
- Flavorful! These popular little peppers get a flavorful boost from charring, togarashi seasoning, and a splash of fresh lime juice!
- A great side dish or appetizer!
How to Make Blistered Shishito Peppers:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this shishito peppers recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Cooking Oil: Because the shishito peppers are cooked at a high temperature, be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut, or avocado oil.
- Shishito Peppers: Shishito peppers are an East Asian variety with a delicate, crisp texture and generally mild, sweet flavor. However, one out of every ten may pack a spicy kick! Like Hatch green chiles, shishito peppers used to be available only in late summer and early fall, but you can find them year-round now. You can eat them raw, but blistering them, as in this shishito peppers recipe, is one of the best ways to bring out their delicious flavor.
- Togarashi: Togarashi itself means “chili pepper” in Japanese. This spice blend is called Shichimi Togarashi or “seven-spice.” My container lists the following as ingredients: kibbled nori, sea salt, aji amarillo chile powder, ginger powder, toasted sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, granulated orange peel, Aleppo chile, and ground cayenne pepper. It’s often used in soups, noodle dishes, fish, poultry, beef, and green vegetables–like this Japanese shishito peppers recipe. Use it anywhere you want an extra kick of heat and flavor!
- Sesame Seeds: I used toasted sesame seeds for garnish, but untoasted is fine since it’s just for garnish.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the peppers.
- Let them cook, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes until they are charred and tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- If any become too blackened, move them to a plate while the rest of the peppers char. When the other peppers are finished, place them back in the skillet to heat through.
- Add the togarashi and lime juice and season with salt to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
That’s it! Blistered shishito peppers!
Chef Tip:
- Togarashi seasoning has a bit of a kick, and although shishitos are generally sweet, remember that occasionally, you will get a hot shishito pepper, so give your guests a heads-up.
Recipe FAQs:
Generally, shishito peppers are not hot, but approximately one in ten might be. Overall, they have a mild, grassy green pepper flavor.
I don’t recommend it. They cook and blacken quickly and don’t require prep work, so they’re ready in minutes!
Storage:
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Serve with:
- Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Asian Chicken Meatball Recipe
- Sesame Tofu with Spinach and Rice Noodles in Ginger Broth
More great recipes with Shishito Peppers you’ll love!
- Beer Batter Shishito Pepper Tempura with Spicy Garlic Dipping Sauce
- Asian Beef Skewers with Shishito Peppers
Get all my appetizer recipes at Appetizers, Snacks and Starters – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons canola oil, or peanut or avocado oil
- 1 bag (12-ounce) shishito peppers
- 1 teaspoon togarashi spice blend, or to tolerance
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until they are charred and tender, about 10-12 minutes. If any begin to get too blackened, move them to a plate while the rest of the peppers char. Place them back in the skillet when the other peppers are finished to heat back through.
- Add the togarashi and lime juice and season with salt to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Notes
- I don’t recommend it. They cook and blacken quickly and don’t require prep work, so they’re ready in minutes! You can, however, reheat leftovers in a 350-degree oven until hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Enjoyed these. Am always looking for new recipes for shishitos. Also enjoyed finding out about togarashi seasoning–I plan to use that in a lot of other ways. Thanks!
Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! We really love the togarashi, too, but then we love spicy anything. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.