10-Minute Blistered Shishito Peppers with Soy-Garlic Glaze

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Shishitos hit a screaming-hot dry skillet until their skins char and pucker, then get tossed in a fast soy-garlic glaze and showered with flaky salt. It's the izakaya bar snack that shows up on every modern menu, and it takes ten minutes at home — one pan, six ingredients, no batter, no fuss. About one pepper in ten comes in spicy, which is the whole game.

Ingredients

• 8 oz shishito peppers (about 25–30)
• 2 tsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, plus more for serving

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 lemon wedge, for squeezing
• bonito flakes, optional (omit to keep vegan)

Instructions

1. Rinse the shishitos and dry them thoroughly on a towel — any surface water will steam instead of blister. Leave the stems on; they're the handle. Prick each pepper once with the tip of a knife if you want to prevent dramatic popping, though a few pops are part of the fun.
2. Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated garlic, and sugar together in a small bowl and set it right next to the stove. The glaze goes in fast at the end, so it needs to be ready before the pan is hot.
3. Set a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over high heat and let it preheat dry for 3 to 4 minutes, until a flicked drop of water skitters and vanishes instantly. You want the pan nearly smoking.
4. Add the 2 teaspoons of oil, swirl once, and immediately add the shishitos in a single layer. Work in two batches if they don't all fit with a little space between them — crowding steams them pale.
5. Cook undisturbed for 60 to 90 seconds until the undersides are blackened in spots, then toss or turn with tongs. Continue cooking, tossing every 45 seconds or so, for 3 to 4 minutes total, until the peppers are slumped, softened, and blistered dark on at least two sides.
6. Kill the heat, then pour the glaze over the peppers and toss constantly for 30 to 45 seconds. The residual heat will reduce it to a glossy coating that clings — don't walk away, since the sugar and garlic can scorch in seconds.
7. Pile the peppers onto a plate, scrape any glaze from the pan over the top, and finish with flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, and a squeeze of lemon. Add bonito flakes if you're not keeping it vegan. Serve immediately, hot, and eat them with your fingers by the stem.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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