Blistered Shishito (or Padron) Peppers

These mostly mild peppers (both Shishito and Padron) are a new obsession for me. They first intrigued me because although they are usually mild, about one in ten is a bit spicy. They are the Russian roulette of peppers! If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell a small bag of Shishito peppers at a great price. If your usual grocery store doesn’t stock them, Whole Foods sells them in the summer time, from local farms here in San Diego.

I snapped these photos with my Samsung NX300 camera and 30mm pancake lens.

Ingredients
1/2 pound shishito or padron peppers
olive oil
dash salt
juice of half lemon

Wash and dry your peppers. Wet peppers will splatter when they hit the hot oil.

Heat your pan, and then add olive oil. Add the peppers when the oil is hot but not smoking.

Toss the peppers occasionally until they blister on one side. About 10 minutes.

Add a dash of course salt, and the juice of half a lemon. Turn the heat off, and let the peppers steam for a minute.

Serve them hot, as an appetizer (they can be picked up by the stems) or a side dish. In the unlikely event you have any leftovers, they are delish cold.

Directions
1) Wash and dry peppers (or else they will splatter when they hit the oil)
2) Heat a saute pan, then add olive oil.
3) When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the peppers.
4) Toss the peppers occasionally, until they are blistered on one side. About ten minutes.
5) Add a dash of course salt, and the juice of half a lemon. Turn the heat off, and let the peppers steam for a minute.