So easy and so crowd-pleasing, I present to you a go-to healthy party appetizer: blistered shishitos (Japanese-style peppers) with a tangy dipping sauce and sesame seed garnish. Similar to "Russian Roulette," the trick to shishitos is an unexpected heat play from pepper to pepper. A mostly mellow batch will hide a couple of heat-packed culprits, which prove to be just as addictive as the others!
The key combination to properly prepare these charred babies is high heat and quick cooking. I've tried both the cast iron skillet and hot oven methods; both work wonders, but I prefer the baking sheet-in-oven option for ultimate consistency (especially when feeding a full house versus just two of us!).
Our paired dipping sauce is healthy, cool and refreshing with a kick of spice to keep flavor profiles balanced yet lively. Enjoy.
Serves 8
2 dry pints shishito or padron peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse kosher salt or sea salt
Black sesame seeds, to garnish
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Black sesame seeds, to garnish
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Toss peppers in olive oil and salt. Place on a baking sheet.
2. Meanwhile, whisk Sriracha and Dijon into yogurt until fully combined. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds (refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week).
3. Once oven is fully preheated, place peppers in oven for 2 minutes; then remove and shake, and return to oven again. Repeat once or twice more until blistered, approximately 6-8 minutes total.
4. Remove promptly from oven. Season with more sea salt and sesame seeds. Serve immediately to maintain crispiness!
