In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, do you feel lucky? When presented with a bowl of shishito peppers, odds are that you’ll bite into a mild, easy-on-the-tastebuds treat. But one out of every 10 to 20 of the little gems ends up being a bit spicier.

Exactly how hot can that rogue pepper be? Not very, it turns out. Shishitos range from 100 to 1,000 Scoville heat units, which is hotter than bell peppers but much milder than jalapenos, which range from 2,500 to 8,000 Scovilles. Their similar-looking cousin, the Padron, ranges between 500 and 2,000 Scovilles.

The “make my day” gamble of biting into that one spicy pepper in the bowl just adds to shishitos’ charms for modern diners, who are clamoring to enjoy them grilled, blistered, roasted and pan-fried. Novelty-seeking diners will love to try an appetizer of shishitos as the perfect start to a meal, in place of that once super-cool, now ho-hum bowl of edamame. Blister them in a hot pan, toss with sea salt, heap them up in a bowl, and serve them along with the opening round of drinks. Stand back and wait for applause.

Quick and easy prep

To prepare, be sure to poke a hole in each pepper before cooking–this will keep expanding hot air from bursting them open. In addition to being popular cooked, they are increasingly turning up served raw, on their own or in salads.

At Toronto’s Bar Isabel, chef Brandon Olsen deep fries the peppers briefly, then tosses them with Maldon salt before heaping them in a bowl and serving them as a bar snack. Chef Eli Kulp of Philadelphia’s Fork restaurant creates a shishito pepper romesco sauce that’s served with grilled vegetables. Chef George Chen of China Live sears shishito peppers with pieces of steak.

Lion’s head

In Japan, it’s said that the tip of the pepper looks like the head of a lion, and their name is the combination of shishi for lion and tōgarashi for chili pepper. Their current popularity is part of a larger overall trend that sees diner clamoring for peppers of all types. To learn more, check out this past On Your Plate blog on Pepper Power, which says that 54 percent of Americans report they prefer spicy foods, dips, sauces and condiments.

Read more

9 Restaurant-Worth Shishito Pepper Recipes That You Can Make at Home

Recipes

Charred Shishito Peppers
Blistered Shishito Peppers

Your diners may look like nice, normal people, but inside, they’re living in a sea of culinary conflict. They jump at the chance to order Buddha bowls, functional non-alcoholic beverages and meals made with 100 percent clean ingredients. But just as the server is about to walk away from the table, they’ll add, “can we get an order of the chili-cheese fries, too?”

Mirroring the Oscar Wilde aphorism of being able to resist anything but temptation, even the most health-focused, gym-going, karma-covered diners can’t seem to resist the indulgence of ordering a platter of fries for the table to share. And these days, the idea of eating naked fries is beginning to seem positively Puritan, as chefs find new ways to pile on flavors.

Mashups and fusion

These loaded-up, topped fries (also called disco fries on some menus) are moving beyond mere chili-cheese or poutine and are now taking cues from global cuisines to create mashups like Asian-style fries. This flavor profile is popular with many diners, especially the 42 percent of Gen Zers who seek out international street foods on menus. 

Check out the recipe for Loaded Kimchi Fries from the chefs at the T. Marzetti^TM kitchen, linked below. They call for a plate of fries to be topped with pulled pork that’s mixed with Marzetti^® Korean Barbecue Sauce. Shredded cheese, kimchi, a fried egg and a green onion are used to top the meat mixture, making this mashup just about irresistible.

Mixing it up

Everywhere you look, chefs are getting creative with their fries and toppings. The Buffalo Spot, a four-state chain, serves what it calls “world famous” Buffalo fries, topped with spicy chicken nuggets. At San Francisco’s Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, they pile up the meat and melted Swiss cheese that’s usually at the center of a pastrami sandwich and instead slide it atop a platter of hot, fried potatoes (see recipe below). The gastropub Bear’s Lair Tavern in Berkeley, California, serves FOMO fries made with Kennebec potatoes, cheese sauce, chorizo, cilantro and chile cream.

Special ideas

If fries are already a regular item on your menu, it can be relatively easy for you to test and feature specials with some over-the-top options that pile on the cheese, bacon, sour cream, truffles and garlic—and more.

How about a topped-fries special tied to St. Patrick’s Day on March 17? Shake Shack has featured a limited-time St. Patrick’s Day fries special, topped with horseradish cream, scallions and Applewood-smoked bacon. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews has run a themed poutine fries special during Oktoberfest, but an item like this might have some appeal for winter-into-spring hearty eating. If it seems like a crazy, over-the-top, incredibly indulgent idea, it’s probably just about right for your topped fries.

Read more

Technomic: Tracking the Fry Trend
A Canadian Classic: 9 Unique Twists on Poutine

Recipe

Loaded Kimchi Fries
Pastrami Cheese Fries