We love the shishito pepper here in my house, and buy them on the regular when they are available at the store.  We like them for a pre-dinner appetizer, as a fun side, or as part of a snacking platter for Trivia Night. 

Our go-to method of cooking these is tossed in a little olive oil and salt in a super hot pan on the stove-top, but we decided to grill our last haul during our last Sunday night grill session, and they were so good!  We fired these up first to snack on while we cooked our other items, like roasted eggplant, our Calabrian chilis, and of course, a nice steak for the two of us.

I usually serve these with some form of dipping sauce, and the recipe down below has become my go-to because I almost always have these ingredients on-hand in my house.  It’s made of mayo or yogurt as the base, with a little lemon juice and grated garlic.  This can easily be spiced up with the addition of smoked paprika or some cumin and coriander (or all three!), as this aioli base is super versatile and open for an addition of a variety of spices and fun flavors. 

I think this recipe is super fun and it makes the rotation on our meal plan probably a couple times per month.  If you see any shishito peppers at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, pick some up and give this a try!

Recipe down below, along with some photos.  We can power through a bag of peppers between the two of us pretty quickly, so buy a lot if you are making this for a crowd!

Grilled Shishito Peppers with Garlic Lemon Aioli

Ingredients:

• For the Grilled Peppers:
  • 1 bag of shishito peppers
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
• For the Garlic Lemon Aioli:
  • ½ cup of Mayo, Greek Yogurt, or Whole Milk Yogurt
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated using a microplane or fine grater
  • ¼ tsp salt

Method:

1. To make the aioli, add the mayo (or yogurt) to a small bowl, and add the lemon juice, grated garlic, and salt.  Mix to combine and set aside until peppers are ready to eat.
2. For the peppers, wash and dry the peppers in a colander.  Add the peppers to a large bowl, and add the olive oil and salt.  Toss to fully coat the peppers in the oil and salt.
3. Put all of the peppers over a pre-heated, hot flame on a grill.  Cook until fully tender and the skin has a blistered/charred appearance, stirring/flipping occasionally to make sure the peppers cook through nicely on all sides.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
   1. I recommend using a grill pan (pictured below) for best results.  This helps keep the peppers contained and prevents everything from slipping into the fire through the grill grates.  You can toss and stir easily using tongs this way!
4. Remove the peppers as they begin to char and become tender, and set into a plate or bowl.  Once all of the peppers have cooked through, grab your aioli for dipping and enjoy!

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Inspired to grill up some shishito peppers?  Try them with these fun dips/dressings as well!

Miso Sesame Dressing

Fava Bean Hummus

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Dressing

Fennel Lemon Pesto