It’s Shishito Summer! This Shishito Rellenos Recipe is my favorite way to enjoy this summer pepper. While shishito peppers are typically enjoyed in a quick sauté until blistered, this is a fun way to cook up these sweet and spicy summer peppers.
What are Shishito Peppers?
Shishito peppers come from the Capsicum family, which includes both sweet peppers and hot peppers. These small, elongated peppers have a thin skin that is slightly wrinkly. They are mild in heat and have a slightly sweet flavor. Check out this previous post on growing shishito peppers and determining when they’re ripe for harvesting.
Some will say they are similar to green bell peppers and barely register on the Scoville Scale with about 50-200 scoville heat units. For comparison, jalapeño peppers can range from about 2,500-8,000 on the same scale. These peppers are savory and great in sautés and, as you’ll see in the recipe below, in the style of a stuffed pepper or chile relleno.
For most summers in our CSA box, we’ve gotten a few bags of these slender peppers that are usually a bright green color in mid to late summer. These peppers are also found at farmers markets around the same time and I’ll usually buy a couple bags to freeze.
Ingredients for Shishito Rellenos Recipe
To make these fun small bites we need the following ingredients:
- Shishito Peppers: It wouldn’t be Shishito Rellenos without these sweet and mildly spicy peppers. We will cut small slits in each of the peppers to make room to stuff them with a delicious assortment of shredded Mexican cheese.
- Assorted Mexican Cheese: A shredded mix of Asadero, Monterey Jack, and sharp cheddar work well here. You can also use queso fresco and a bit of finely chopped queso Oaxaca. Melty cheese blends are what we want here.
- Flour and Egg: We’re creating a light and airy tempura batter for these small fried, stuffed peppers. See recipe card for instructions on how to create this.
- Cumin, Paprika, Chili Powder: We’re flavoring the flour coating with a blend of these spices.
- Neutral Oil for Frying: Canola or vegetable oil work well here as a neutral oil to fry the stuffed shishito peppers.
How to Prepare Shishito Rellenos
Preparing these stuffed peppers will take 45 minutes of less. Here’s how we make them:
- First, rinse your shishito peppers and pat dry with a towel. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a slit on one side of the pepper to create a pocket for the cheese stuffing. Stuff your shishito peppers with your cheese blend and carefully close the peppers to bring the slits together. Repeat with remaining peppers until all are stuffed. Set aside on a plate while you prep you batter and flour mixtures.
- Preheat 1 to 2 cups of neutral oil (canola or vegetable) in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Since the peppers are smaller, you can create a shallower fry versus using more oil for a deep fry. Heat your oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oil is ready, add a small pinch of flour. If it bubbles and crisps up, your oil is ready for frying.
- While the oil preheats, prepare your flour coating and batter. In a medium bowl sift 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the batter: In a small bowl, sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Whisk in the kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, and paprika. In a medium bowl, whisk your egg until the whites and yolk are combined. Add your ice water, using a strainer (if needed) to prevent your ice cubes from falling into the batter. Using chopsticks, or the back of a wooden spoon, lightly stir in your sifted flour mixture to combine. Avoid over mixing; though it is okay if the batter is a little lumpy.
Ready to Fry the Shishito Rellenos
- To fry your peppers: take one stuffed pepper and toss in your flour coating. Take your flour coated pepper and drop into your tempura batter and light toss to coat. Add your tempura coated pepper to your heated oil and fry up, turning once, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden and edges are crisp. Remove peppers from oil and place on plate with paper towels to drain off excess oil while you fry remaining peppers.
Serving Shishito Rellenos as Part of Taco Night
These Shishito Rellenos are a great part of your Taco Tuesday Board. Serve these with a variety of these favorite dishes:
Shishito Rellenos
Ingredients
- 8 oz shishito peppers
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend a mix of Asadero, Monterey Jack, and Sharp White Cheddar blend
Tempura Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- Pinch of kosher salt & black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup ice water
Flour Coating
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour sifted
Garnish Options
- Flaked sea salt & chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
- Salsas of choice for dipping
Instructions
- Rinse your shishito peppers and pat dry with a towel. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a slit on one side of the pepper to create a pocket for the cheese stuffing. Stuff your shishito peppers with your cheese blend and carefully close the peppers to bring the slits together. Repeat with remaining peppers until all are stuffed. Set aside on a plate while you prep you batter and flour mixtures.
- Preheat 1 to 2 cups of neutral oil (canola or vegetable) in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Since the peppers are smaller, you can create a shallower fry versus using more oil for a deep fry. Heat your oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oil is ready, add a small pinch of flour. If it bubbles and crisps up, your oil is ready for frying.
- While the oil preheats, prepare your flour coating and batter. In a medium bowl sift 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the batter: In a small bowl, sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Whisk in the kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, and paprika. In a medium bowl, whisk your egg until the whites and yolk are combined. Add your ice water, using a strainer (if needed) to prevent your ice cubes from falling into the batter. Using chopsticks, or the back of a wooden spoon, lightly stir in your sifted flour to combine. Avoid over mixing; it is okay if the batter is a little lumpy.
- To fry your peppers: take one stuffed pepper and toss in your flour coating. Take your flour coated pepper and drop into your tempura batter and light toss to coat. Add your tempura coated pepper to your heated oil and fry up, turning once, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden and edges are crisp. Remove peppers from oil and place on plate with paper towels to drain off excess oil while you fry remaining peppers.
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