17 Shishito Pepper Recipes (+ Produce Guide)

Shishito peppers are Japanese chile peppers.  The peppers received the name shishi, abbreviated shishito, because the tip of the pepper was thought to resemble the head of a lion.

The peppers are a popular snack in the Japanese culture. They’ve become popular in the United States over the past few years, and are offered at restaurants and are sold at farmers markets across the country.

The peppers are about about 2-3 inches long, slender in width, and have thin, delicate walls. They’re also wrinkled and curvy.

They’re typically harvested when bright green, but if they’re left to ripen longer they will turn bright red.

Normally they have a mild, sweet flavor, but about one out of every 10 peppers is very spicy. This can be due to exposure to the sun or other environmental factors.

I never knew this before, so I’m going to take a little taste test before I pop a whole pepper in my mouth from now on!

Shishito peppers are available year round, but they’re in peak season during the summer and early fall.

I planted a shishito pepper plant in my garden for the first time this year in a raised bed in full sunlight in May, and was harvesting peppers 4-6 weeks later.

I have a drip system set up to water my garden for 10 minutes every morning, and other than that there was no maintenance involved.

The plant grew to about 2 feet high and 2 feet wide. I worried that it may become top-heavy like my jalapeño plant, but it didn’t as shishito peppers are very light in weight.

My plant has been quite productive. I gave away quite a few peppers to friends as I couldn’t keep up with all of them due to traveling, etc. There were still plenty for me!

My family isn’t into chili peppers which meant that I’ve eaten the bulk of my peppers. I’m not complaining one bit because I can easily eat 1/2 lb. in one sitting….they’re that addictive. 🙂

Shishito peppers are very low in calories, carbohydrates and contain no fat. They’re high in Vitamins A and C and rich in antioxidants.

Shishito peppers should be firm with no bruises or discoloration.

Store the peppers in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week depending on how fresh they were when you purchased them.

I typically use the peppers within 3-5 days of harvesting. At times they became a bit soft, but they still cooked up perfectly.

The most popular way to prepare these peppers is blistering or charring them. The peppers cook over higher heat in minutes due to their thin, delicate skin, and works well on the grill, in the oven or on the stove top.

They’re also wonderful sautéed and may even be eaten raw. Those are the two most popular methods for cooking shishito peppers.