Back when Andy and I had a life, one of our favorite things do on a warm evening was mosey in the East Village of Manhattan and visit one of our favorite places, Mermaid Inn. It is a charming little place that specializes in seafood, and before 7.30 am they have this fabulous happy hour with $ 1 oysters and cocktails half price. We would like to order some oysters and a couple other appetizers sitting in their picturesque garden enjoying the warm night. It was there that I first was introduced to shishito peppers, and since I'm obsessed.
The way I have done here is pretty much exactly how I remember the Mermaid Inn. Puffed out, a little crispy and tender, and topped with lots of lemon juice and sea salt flakey. I can not believe it took me this long to do that, I always thought that they would be difficult with all kinds of necessary fancy cooking techniques. They are so easy, it's comical. I will do these on a regular now, they are so inexplicably delicious. Shishitos are usually pretty sweet peppers, occasionally a spicy one shows, but that's a little part of the fun I think. I found them at Trader Joes but I think you can find several places this time of year. One day soon, we'll take a date night Mermaid Inn, but I'm glad to have found an alternative in the mean time.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 lb shishito Peppers
- Flakey sea salt and neighborhoods lemon for garnish
- . Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat until just smoking
- Add half the peppers; (You can use a protection against splashes if you have one.) Cook, tossing occasionally, until the skins are blistered, about 4 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers to a bowl, patting excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and lemon and toss to coat. (Repeat with remaining peppers.)