Grilled Shishito Peppers

Grilled Shishito Peppers are a quick and easy way to enjoy these tiny peppers with a range of flavors (beware the occasional hot one!).

Years ago, author Jack Gantos introduced me to shishito peppers at a dinner in Boston. He was raving about the flavors and demonstrated how he liked to eat them best: right up to the stem with a squirt of lemon juice. That version of shishitos was cooked in a cast iron skillet.

In the time since then, I have experimented with shishitos — roasting, sauteing and more. But aside from taking my trusty cast iron skillet out to the grill, I’d never cooked them on the open flame before. What an oversight.

Grilled Shishito Peppers have all the great flavor of ones cooked in a cast iron skillet, but there’s less less — and less oil involved. And while Jack Gantos was right about the squirt of lemon, I love these with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sometimes the simplest method is all you need.

To make these, you’ll need fresh shishito peppers. We grow ours, but you can also find them in-season at farmers markets. Toss the peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper and then put them on a hot grill. They will cook in a few swift minutes. Easy peasy.

Seriously, I told you this was a quick and easy method for cooking these peppers.