Happiness is a warm plate of blistered shishito peppers with a creamy dipping sauce. It's the easiest thing and produces a surprisingly delicious result.
Shishitos are a variety of pepper that are small, finger-long, slender, and thin-walled. My absolute favourite thing about them is occasionally you'll get a spicy one. You just never know which one is going to have kick, it's like playing Russian roulette with your food!
To make awesome shishito peppers I have three tips:
1. poke a small hole in the pepper to keep expanding hot air from bursting the pepper.
2. high heat and quick cooking.
3. serve hot!
If you don't want to turn on your oven you can make them in a frying pan too! Bon Appetite says to Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
Blistered Shishito Peppers
1 pint shishito peppers
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Sriracha Dip
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp sriracha
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Prepare the dip before starting to cook the peppers. Combine all the dip ingredients and set aside.
For the peppers, set the oven to broil. Place an oven proof pan or baking sheet on the 2nd highest shelf under the broiler, let the oven heat up while preparing the peppers.
Wash and dry the peppers. Toss them with olive oil until coated and season with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, toss the peppers on and put back under the broiler. After 2 1/2 minutes shake the pan to turn the peppers over, let them cook for another minute or so, until the look blistered.
Plate and sprinkle with a little more salt. Serve with dip!