Grilled Shishito Peppers

Join Chef Ono's family dinner as they prepare delicious shishito peppers, a bright green Japanese pepper with a mild flavor. Learn how Atsushi cooks the peppers and Chef Ono's tips for preserving their vibrant color. Try this simple recipe and share your experience in the comments!

For our dinner with Chef Ono's family, Atsushi and I picked up beautiful shishito pepper at the farmers market, a bright green Japanese pepper about an inch to two inches long that looks like a hot green chili but has a mild flavor (except for every once in a while, when you bite into a fiery one!). Chef Ono evidently also heard the shishito siren call, and picked up a bunch, too, at Daido Market, the outstanding Japanese food store in Westchester County, NY. Atsushi cooked them in a little oil in a frying pan. He covered the pan so the peppers became nicely tender. Chef Ono explained that in the restaurant, they cook shishito uncovered on a much hotter flame - thanks to professional burners - so the peppers keep their vibrant color (the covered shishito lost a bit of its luster, but not flavor). Either way, as soon as the shishito are cooked through, throw a little Japanese wet sea salt on them and enjoy them while they're hot.

When you try this dish, I'd be grateful if you could let me know in the comments how it turns out. Did it work? Any questions or thoughts?