A Must Try: Shishito Peppers

A reader sent me an email letting me know that the elusively sweet, small, and relatively unspicy green peppers that I must have had at Tia Pol were most likely Japanese Shishito peppers.  As I note in an old recipe over at Gothamist, I tried to make these little blistered peppers with Serrano chilis but needed to laboriously clean out the insides in order to keep the heat manageable.  Emily (our knowledgeable reader) notes that the Shishito doesn't need to be cleaned as it's very mild.  She also notes that Shishitos can be found at Sunrise Mart here in the city.  I must track these down....

Comments

[monkey2000]

Actually at a Spanish restaurant they were probably Padron peppers. Similar but every once in a while you get a hot one! Spanish roulette!

[Amber]

The peppers at Tia Pol are actually Guernica peppers (they're one of my favorite things on the menu!), but Shishitos are very similar. There's a stand at the Union Square Greenmarket that sells incredibly fresh ones--not far from the corner of 14th & Union Square West. When I asked the woman at the stand today, she said the growing season runs through October, so you should stop by her stand!