Over the past several weeks we have been making Grilled Shishito Peppers as an appetizer or snack at least 3-4 times per week.

They are incredibly delicious, easy to make, and are a healthy alternative when needing to curb your hunger.

As many of you know we fell in love with Grilled Shishito Peppers while visiting the town of Austin, TX.

And that love continued when we traveled to Arizona and found them on the menu there as well.

That is when we knew that we would have to grow our own in the garden this year. See: Growing Shishito Peppers – An Incredibly Delicious MUST-GROW Pepper!

Growing Shishito Peppers

So we ordered our Shishito Pepper seeds and began planting them!

As soon as they began to pop through the soil we were filled with anticipation and excitement with just the mere thought that we would be able to make the grilled peppers right in our own home.

Then it came planting time. As soon as the threat of the last frost was over we transitioned the plants outdoors. Well, most of them.

Because we might have been just a little bit too excited about our newest garden plant, we ended up with over 36 Shishito pepper plants.

Knowing that we didn’t need that many, we gave our family and friends some to try as well.

So we filled one of our garden rows with Shishito Peppers. But we also added them into our landscape beds.

In addition, we planted a few in 5 gallon buckets and placed them in growing crates right by our outdoor kitchen.

From a growth standpoint, we didn’t know what to expect. We weren’t sure how tall the pepper plants would grow.

Picking Shishito Peppers — We picked dozens of peppers just off of 4 plants!

Nor did we know how many peppers that a single plant would yield.

Well, to say the least, we are not disappointed!

Our Shishito Pepper plants have taken off and are producing like crazy!

So now we get to enjoy the same delicious appetizer that we fell in love several times a week!

Grilling Shishito Peppers

So how do we make grilled Shishito Peppers? It is really quite easy.

First of all, be sure to pick your peppers with the stem still attached. This serves as your built in handle when it is time to eat.

We use a grill pan so we don’t ‘have to worry about the peppers falling through the grates.

Place your peppers in a wide and shallow bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil over top and toss the peppers until they are well coated.

Place the peppers in a grilling pan on the grill. Or if you are cooking inside, on a hot cast iron skillet or grill pan.

Let the peppers blister on all sides. Remove them from the grill and then sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt.

And if you have any fresh lemon on hand, squirt some on top for a light and refreshing taste.

salt the peppers — After the peppers are grilled, sprinkle on a little salt and lemon juice.

But the hardest part of all is waiting until they cool for a few minutes before taking your first bite!

The Gotcha Pepper

So what do the Grilled Shishito Peppers taste like? The best way that I can explain it – lightly sweet and mild green pepper flavors that are greatly enhanced by blistering and charring the skins.

The peppers are just soft enough to easily take a bite, but firm enough that you can hold them upright with your fingers.

But the best part of eating Grilled Shishito Peppers is the element of surprise.

You see, this pepper is also known as a ‘Gotcha’ pepper. Each plant will produce dozens of small, green, finger-length peppers with thin, slightly wrinkly skin.

They are considered a sweet pepper. However, each plant will produce a few peppers that are spicy.

However, they look no different than their sweeter counterparts. So every time you pick up a grilled Shishito pepper you have to wonder if you have found the ‘lucky’ hot and spicy pepper!

But don’t be too concerned. Even the hottest of the Shishitos aren’t super spicy. They will provide just enough heat to get your attention, but not to the point that you mouth is going to feel like it is on fire.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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