Serve Shishito Peppers at the Super Bowl Party
When serving food to a large number of drunk people, it’s important to have some impressive treats that you can prepare quickly and easily. The blisters of the shishito peppers are fresh and it’s made to be dipped. (I, for one, am of the opinion that at least half of your Big Game distribution should consist of items that can be dipped.)
Shishito peppers are usually quite mild, but you get scorching from time to time, which, in my opinion, only adds to the pleasure. While they are technically out of season right now, I’ve seen them all over the city at various grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding them.
There are several ways to cook these peppers, but your goal is to make them bubbly. I love to hit them with a kitchen torch, but the easiest way is to cover them with neutral oil so that they lightly coat each pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon per pint), then roast them hot. Cook in a skillet until bubbly and scorched in places (you can also grill or under the broiler in the oven). When bubbling, remove from heat, sprinkle with crispy salt and serve.
At the moment, the only thing you are responsible for is coming up with something to dip them in. I prefer a creamy, soothing situation in case one of these edgy guys pops up. While I like to dip them in plain sour cream, that’s not entirely true. A good choice is to add some miso, as well as a couple of cloves of garlic puree with the addition of healthy lemon. Probably the best thing to do is go crazy with failures; everyone loves sauces.