Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic Aioli

A plate of these Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic Aioli showcases vibrancy and brightness on any summer snack board. In minutes, the pan-fried mild peppers are ready to be dunked in the homemade aioli dipping sauce, making for a light and healthy snack or side dish.

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Healthy snack incoming! These Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic Aioli are a keto, gluten-free, and vegetarian’s dream dish. The crunchy peppers are dressed up with a little salt and lime juice to create a vibrant snack you can dip in the delicious and savory homemade garlic aioli.

There’s something about a plate of mini colorful peppers that makes me want to dig in immediately. Each bite is always crunchy, light, and satisfying. Thankfully, the blistered shishitos in this recipe need less than 10 minutes to cook in a hot pan, making for a low-maintenance snack that’s perfect for dipping.

Don’t worry – shishitos are not as spicy as other chile peppers! They have a sweet and mild taste, plus their charred skin will give each one a touch of smokiness. All of these flavors play so well among the savory and creamy paprika garlic aioli dipping sauce.

Turn to these peppers when you need a summer-ready snack. They’d be delicious at the family cookout with more summer favorites, like Steak and Shrimp, Brussels Sprouts Salad, and Garlic Grilled Shrimp.

What are shishito peppers?

These slender, bright green, and wrinkled peppers come from Japan. Shishito peppers are not spicy and have a more sweet and mild flavor. They make a delicious and dippable snack when they’re blistered in a cast iron pan or on the grill.

Shishito peppers vs. Padron peppers

Shishito peppers have a lot of similarities to Spanish Padron peppers. Both are green, long, and wrinkled. You can easily swap one for the other and prepare them in the same way.

If you want to snack on some shishitos but you can only find Padrons, go ahead and use them as a substitute! Just be ready for a little heat. Padron peppers have a Scoville heat unit of 500 – 2,500 SHU and are about as spicy as a banana pepper.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Shishito peppers – You should be able to find a bag of these peppers at most grocery stores nowadays. I can almost always find them at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
• Avocado oil – The peppers need to cook at a high temperature which is why you need an oil with a high smoke point. Avocado oil is best but if you don’t have it, you can use canola or sunflower oil instead.
• Salt flakes – This ups the flavor when you crunch into a blistered pepper.
• Lime juice – A spritz of fresh lime juice on top of the peppers makes everything extra bright and tangy.
• Garlic aioli – This homemade dipping sauce is an easy creation you can whip together in less than 1 minute. All you need is mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, salt, and paprika. Garlic aioli is the best sauce to turn to when you’re snacking on steamed artichokes, when you need a spread for a sandwich, or as a last minute salad dressing.

How to make cast iron blistered shishito peppers

1. Make the garlic aioli: Mix all of the dip ingredients in a bowl. Keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. If you want, feel free to make this a few days ahead of time.
   
2. Pan-fry the peppers: Heat the oil in your cast iron. Once the pan is hot, add the peppers and cook until all sides are blistered evenly.
   
3. Dress and serve: To finish, toss the peppers in flaky sea salt and add to a serving platter. Serve with the garlic aioli and a spritz of lime on top.

Tips and substitutions

• To make this recipe completely vegan, replace the mayonnaise in the aioli with a plant-based alternative.
• Want to lighten up the aioli? Replace the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
• You may find a spicy shishito pepper in your bag. Rumor has it that 1 out of 10 shishito peppers have some spice. It may come as a surprise but, thankfully, they only have between 50 – 200 Scoville units so the heat won’t be overwhelming.

What to serve with shishito peppers

These blistered shishito peppers make for an easy snack you can enjoy with garlic aioli, hummus, romesco sauce, yogurt sauce, or another dipping sauce. They would also work in a stir fry or sauteed bok choy with soy sauce or on the side of any main dish, like Baked Chicken Breast, Chili Lime Chicken Burgers, Ginger Baked Salmon, or Ribeye Steak.

More healthy snacks to enjoy

Serve your shishitos next to a platter of more fun snacks, like:

• Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
• Ribeye Steak Crostini
• Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
• Keto Tuna Egg Salad

If you try these Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic Aioli let me know what you think! Rate and review this recipe in the comments below. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog!