Step 1: Sautéing the Peppers
- 2 pints (4 cups) shishito or Padrón peppers*
- 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt (such as fleur de sel), to taste
- 1/2 a fresh lemon
To start, heat a wide sauté pan (preferably cast iron) over medium to medium-high heat. The wider surface area allows the peppers to come into direct contact with the hot pan. Once the pan is good and hot, but not smoking, add the oil, followed by the peppers.
Tossing the peppers frequently until the skins are nicely blistered — a bit of charring in a few spots is normal. The whole process should only take about 6 to 10 minutes.
Once the peppers are nicely colored, toss with some nice salt and add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Serve the peppers immediately. To eat the peppers, pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem.
Step 2: Additional Flavorings
When it comes to additional flavorings, feel free to experiment — just keep in mind that this is a simple dish, so don’t get too carried away.
Some combinations that work particularly well are smoked paprika and the Padrón peppers.
And for the shishito peppers, sauté them with toasted sesame oil, instead of olive oil and then finish them with togarashi.
Here are just a couple of other tapas recipes that we have for you to try as well.
Pan Con Tomate
Marinated Carrots
Braised Spinach & Chickpea
Smoky Spanish Almonds
Charred Roasted Red Peppers
Patatas Bravas
Tortilla de Patata (Spanish Omelet)