Shishito pepper is a small relatively mild green pepper. Although the spiciness changes depending on the weather conditions, it is relatively mild and can be eaten whole including the seeds. I just love the combination of its slight spiciness and its bitterness, and for me it is one of the best summer vegetables. You don’t need to do much with it, just simply grill and eat with soy sauce or sweet miso sauce.
Shishito is one of the vegetable that is still hard to get in the US, or at least I thought it was. But then a few weeks ago, I saw it at my local vegetable market right next to jalapeno pepper. I did not recognize it right away because it was a little larger than the ones in Japan. But my eyes caught the sign. It was a little bit hard to believe right at the moment after missing it for many years, but then I grabbed it and rushed home.
At home I heated my cast iron pan over medium high heat until it got hot without oil, and grilled the shishitos until the skins started to get browned. Then I dropped a small amount of soy sauce over it. Today it was all gone before dinner time, but hopefully next time it will be on my dinner table to share.
