Shishito Peppers

The season of summer veggie bounty is upon us!

Seared Shishito Peppers…pick ‘em up and eat 100 of them (not the stem tho). Photo by me, Anna Vocino.

Seared shishito peppers are a staple of Japanese restaurants all over SoCal, but unfortunately for us gluten-sensitive types, they arrive to the table drenched in soy sauce. And the second ingredient in Americanized soy sauce is wheat.

No bueno.

Here’s an easy solution: make your own at home!

It’s pepper season, and the bounty is popping right now.

If you see some shishito peppers in your produce department or at your local farmstand, grab them. Even better, if you can plant some, DO IT!

This recipe is super simple, and honestly could be pared down to just salt, pepper, and olive oil. But adding a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of coconut aminos (my favorite sub for soy sauce) really amps up the flavor profile as if the pepper were seared in a ponzu sauce.

If you have a Lodge Cast Iron pan (and why wouldn’t you), make sure you use that for the best sear on the peppers.

And as always, here’s a downloadable, printable PDF of this recipe for you.

SEARED SHISHITO PEPPERS

(serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I love my Villa Cappelli)

• 1/2 pound shishito peppers, washed and dried

• Salt and pepper

• Juice of half a lime

• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan until very hot on medium high heat (or until oil is shimmering but not smoking). Add shishito peppers and let them sear, using tongs to flip the peppers to let them sear on each side. Season with salt and pepper.

For the next 5 minutes, turn peppers so that they continue to sear and get soft. Drizzle lime juice and coconut aminos, and toss the peppers. Season once more with salt and pepper and serve.