Shishito Pepper Salsa Recipe

Tiny gold spoon full with Shishito Pepper Salsa, being held over a bowl of it.

Full of bold Asian flavors, blistered shishito pepper salsa is an irresistible, subtly sweet and spicy sauce you'll want to spoon over everything from dumplings and fish to chicken and rice bowls.

Cook Time25

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Condiments

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Asian-inspired dinnping sauces

Servings: to 6

Calories: 78kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

8 ounces shishito peppers
neutral oil to lightly coat the pan (like vegetable or avocado)
3 ounces red bell pepper or red long sweet pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced/puréed garlic
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon chili paste
salt to taste if necessary

Instructions

Blister the shishito peppers. Coat the bottom of large skillet (ideally cast iron), with the oil and place it over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the peppers. You should immediately hear them sizzle - if you don't, the pan isn't hot enough yet. Wait for the sizzle!
Sauté the peppers until they are nicely charred - each pepper will be about 50% green and 50% charred. This should take about 8 minutes.
Once they're cool enough to handle, cut the stem ends off, split them lengthwise, and use the back of a paring knife to remove the seeds. Then chop the peppers as finely as possible. Set aside.
Char the red pepper. Place the pepper directly on top of a high flame and let it char for a few minutes, turning it often with kitchen tongs. It should be mostly black when you’re done.
Remove the pepper from the burner, place it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it steam for a few minutes. Then use your hands to peel the blackened skin off, and use the back of a knife to remove the seeds. Then chop the peppers as finely as possible. Set aside.
Assemble. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chopped shishitos, red peppers, shallots, and minced garlic. Then add the sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, and chili paste and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt if necessary - if the flavors are popping as much as you'd.
Serve warm or hot with dumplings, chicken, fish, rice, noodles, or anything else you'd like to have with it.

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition