Shishito Peppers Are Denver’s Trendiest Snack
From Wikipedia: Shishito pepper (獅子唐辛子, Shishitōgarashi) is a sweet, East Asian variety of the species Capsicum annuum.[1] It is known as kkwari-gochu (꽈리고추; “groundcherry pepper”) in Korea due to its wrinkled surface resembling groundcherries.
The pepper is small and finger-long, slender, and thin-walled. Although it turns from green to red upon ripening, it is usually harvested while green. The name refers to the fact that the tip of the chili pepper (唐辛子, tōgarashi) looks like the head of a lion (獅子, shishi); in Japanese it is often abbreviated as shishitō.[citation needed]
About one out of every ten peppers is spicy.
From a recent story in 5280 Magazine: Move over, Brussels sprouts. Stand aside, kale. It’s time for another vegetable to be tapped as trendiest snack: shishito peppers. And we’re all for it, because unlike those other two veggies, these slender green peppers are proving themselves to be highly versatile, so that every bowl around town doesn’t taste the same. The mostly-mild peppers — one in ten is said to be hot — at some places are fried and served with cilantro coulis. At others, the peppers are flash-fried and paired with tempura-battered cheese curds for a play on inside-out jalapeno poppers, with orange-habanero jam on the side.
Still other places use the grilled peppers are a component of the popular appetizer called peppers five ways, which also includes fresno poppers, bacon-wrapped jalapenos, pickled peppers and pepper jam.
After finding shishitos in eateries of all stripes around town, you might forget that the pepper is a staple of Japanese cooking. But I found a more traditional version, blistered and bathed in ginger sauce to be one of my favorites. Here’s a simple blistered version:
- Coat fresh shishito peppers or kkwari-gochu in avocado or olive oil, cook at 500° for 7 minutes, then drizzle with sea salt. Serve immediately.