Blistered Shishito Peppers with Sriracha Aioli

Blistered Shishito Peppers are delicate and mild, with a hint of sweetness and heat. Make this recipe for an easy snack or appetizer!

This dish comes together quickly on the stove top, and the peppers are wonderful with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a pinch of salt. For even more flavor, try dipping sauce, like a quick and easy Sriracha aioli!

Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions

• Shishito Peppers – The Asian peppers are most often available at grocery stores and farmers markets from summer through fall. Obviously, this can vary depending on your location. However, if you live near an Asian grocery store, you will likely find them stocked year-round. Padrón peppers are a good substitute.
• Extra virgin olive oil – Feel free to use any neutral flavor oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado or grapeseed oil.

For the Sriracha Aioli

• Mayonnaise – You can use low-fat or light mayo, if desired.
• Sriracha – There are very few hot sauces with a flavor profile exactly like Sriracha, but sambal oelek is the closest.
• Lemon – Obviously, freshly squeezed lemon juice offers the best flavor. If you use bottled juice, keep in mind that it is a concentrate, so you won’t need as much.
• Garlic – Minced garlic packed in oil is fine too.

How to Prepare Blistered Shishito Peppers

1. Preheat skillet – Heat a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil (or any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point) in a large sauté pan, preferably cast iron (larger than the pan used in the photo above; see the last photo in this post). You want the skillet to be very hot but not smoking.
2. Cook – Add the shishito peppers and cook over medium heat, turning frequently with tongs until blistered and wilted. Let them char in places but not all over; this will result in a smokey flavor that isn’t burnt. It will take around 10-15 minutes
3. Garnish and serve – When they’re ready, toss with a bit of kosher or sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve hot on their own or with a dipping sauce. You can eat the entire pepper except for the stem (which you can grab them by, making these perfect finger food).

About the CHILI peppers

Selecting The Right Peppers

Look for firm, bright green peppers that are between two to five inches long. NOTE: The peppers will turn red as they ripen, but they are best eaten when green. 

How to Store

Store peppers in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. If they look fresh when you purchase them, they should be fine for several days.

Are Shishito Peppers Spicy?

Actually, the peppers are very mild, even milder than a jalapeño. On the Scoville scale (the measurement for heat of peppers), shishitos range between 50 and 200 SHU (Scoville Heat Units).

Inspiration for this recipe

Recently I visited one of my favorite local vacation spots: Dewey & Rehoboth Beach on Delaware’s eastern shore. We have an amazing place to stay toward the end of Dewey, away from the main drag that tends to be a bit more of a bar scene than I prefer.

Dewey is a 10 minute drive from Rehoboth, which is full of restaurants that serve local seafood. While waiting for our dinner table on Saturday evening, we stopped at a nearby bar for drinks and appetizers.

Can you guess what stood out? I couldn’t get enough of their blistered shishito peppers, which go so well with icy cold beer.

I had to have more of these peppers as soon as I got home.

Looking For More Party Appetizers?

Check out my Buffalo Chicken Dip, Baked Gouda in Puff Pastry, and Old Bay Deviled Eggs!

I also love these Greek Style Potato Skins with Hummus from A Beautiful Plate.

Print Pin Recipe

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Sriracha Aioli

5 from 10 votes

Blistered shishito peppers are a quick and easy appetizer; they're delicate and mild, with a hint of sweetness and spice. For even more flavor, try dipping them in Sriracha aioli!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Japanese

Keyword Blistered Shishito Peppers

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings (approximately)

Calories 143

Author Jennifer Farley

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Sriracha Aioli

• ▢ 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Sriracha, or more to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, grated or minced (see notes)
• ▢ Kosher salt if desired

Blistered Shishito Peppers

• ▢ 8 ounces (approximately 4 cups) shishito peppers; Padrón peppers may be substituted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (grapeseed or canola oil are also good options)
• ▢ 1/2 medium lemon (approximately 1 tablespoon juice)
• ▢ Kosher or sea salt to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Sriracha Aioli:

• ▢
  In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Sriracha, lemon juice, and garlic. Taste; add a pinch of salt if desired.

Prepare the Shishito Peppers:

• ▢
  Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering (very hot) but not smoking.
• ▢
  Using kitchen tongs, add the peppers in a single layer and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until blistered and wilted, turning frequently so that each pepper chars in a few places but not all over. This will create a flavor that’s smokey as opposed to burnt.
• ▢
  You can cook them until they still have a bit of crunch, around 6-7 minutes total, or until they’ve wilted completely, which can take up to 15 minutes (I prefer them completely wilted with a bit more char).
• ▢
  Use the tongs to remove to a serving plate and top with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of salt. Serve immediately with the aioli (or on their own!)

Video

Notes

To properly infuse the sauce with garlic flavor, I recommend using a microplane zester. This releases the juices and turns the garlic into a paste.

Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 363mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 10mg

Recipe Troubleshooting

For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)