Shishito Kushiyaki (ししとう串焼き, grilled shishito peppers)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Bamboo skewers, soaked, or metal skewers
• •Charcoal grill, gas grill, or ridged grill pan
• •Small brush for tare

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the skewers

   If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least ten minutes while you prepare the peppers. Wet bamboo chars more slowly, which buys you enough time to blister the peppers instead of burning the handles.

2. 2

   Prick the peppers

   Rinse the shishito and dry them very well. Prick each pepper once near the shoulder with the tip of a skewer or knife. Dry skin blisters cleanly; wet skin steams against the grill and turns slack. The small prick lets trapped air escape so the peppers don't burst.

3. 3

   Make the tare

   For the optional glaze, stir the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pan and simmer for two to three minutes, just until glossy and lightly thickened. Cook it briefly so the raw edge of the sake leaves and the sugar dissolves. This is tare, a finishing glaze, not a sauce to drown the peppers.

4. 4

   Skewer and oil

   Thread five or six peppers onto each skewer, piercing through the thick shoulder just below the stem so they lie flat. Toss or brush them lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt. The oil helps the skin blister and shine; too much oil makes flare-ups and tastes heavy.

5. 5

   Grill quickly

   Set the skewers over a hot charcoal grill or a very hot grill pan. Cook for about two minutes per side, turning as the skins blister and spot with brown. Listen for a faint pop and watch the color. You want bright green peppers with blistered patches, not olive, wrinkled ones.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Serve them as they are with a final pinch of sea salt, or brush once with tare during the last thirty seconds on the grill and turn to set the gloss. Add the glaze late because the mirin and sugar burn quickly. Slide the skewers onto a plate with space around them and serve with a lemon or sudachi wedge if you like.

Chef Tips

• •Choose shishito that feel firm, with taut green skin and fresh stems. Wrinkled peppers can still be cooked, but this dish has nothing to hide them behind.
• •Binchotan charcoal gives a clean, steady heat for kushiyaki. A gas grill or ridged grill pan works well at home, as long as it is properly hot before the peppers go on.
• •Salt-only is the clearest version. Use tare when the rest of the meal can take a slightly sweeter, soy-dark note, and brush it lightly. The pepper should still taste like pepper.
• •Thread the peppers loosely. If they are packed tight, the sides touch each other instead of the grill, and you lose the blistered skin that makes the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The tare can be made up to one week ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it briefly or let it come to room temperature before brushing.
• •The peppers can be rinsed, dried, and pricked a few hours ahead. Keep them uncovered or loosely covered in the refrigerator so the skins stay dry.
• •Grill just before serving. Shishito lose their snap as they sit, and this dish is best while the skins are still glossy and blistered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)