Roasted Shishito Peppers Recipe

Looking for a delightfully different side dish or appetizer? This easy recipe for Roasted Shishito Peppers creates a flavorful bite that’s easy to fall in love with.

Oh, shishito peppers.

I had no idea what I was missing until a few years ago when an acclaimed author raved about them at a book dinner I attended in Boston. After trying them, blistered, spritzed with lemon and salted, I was hooked.

Are you familiar with this variety of peppers? Shishito peppers are a small, usually sweet variety of peppers. Every so often you’ll get a spicy one in the batch, but that’s part of the fun. And they are fantastic served browned and blistered.

But the fried version of these summer veggies aren’t the only way to get that great smoky, bright flavor. In fact, roasting them can add new dimension to the whole dish.

These, my friends, are roasted shishito peppers — based on the fried version, but revamped to be a special dish all their own.

And yes, they are special. Oh so special.

If you like shishito peppers, I highly recommend giving this version a try. You might just find an even better way to coax the best flavor from these little peppers.

In this recipe, the shishito peppers are first tossed with olive oil and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Keep tossing them to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Then spread them on a baking sheet. I always cover my baking sheet with foil because it means less mess to clean up. But you don’t have to do that if you don’t want.

Now, it’s time to roast them. It won’t take very long — just a few minutes — before they begin to brown and blister. When they do that, they’re ready.

Serve them with lemon wedges, if you wish, for spritzing. It’s optional, but they are divine with the touch of tartness.

To eat these, just grab the shishito pepper by the stem, bite and enjoy.

These can be an appetizer — that’s how they were served at the restaurant in Boston. But they make a good side dish too. However you have them, enjoy!