• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cooking With Our CSA logo

  • Recipes
    • Category
      • Appetizers & Small Bites
      • Breads & Baked Goods
      • Breakfast & Brunch
      • Desserts & Sweets
      • Dressings & Marinades
      • Drinks
      • Entrees
      • Holidays
      • Pasta
      • Pizza Picnics
      • Salads
      • Sides
      • Soups & Stews
    • Diet
      • Gluten-Free
      • Paleo & Whole 30
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Season
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Autumn
  • Resources
    • About CSA
    • Farm Feature Friday
    • Food & Meal Prep
    • Home & Kitchen
    • Urban Gardening
  • Meal Plans
  • Classes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • My Faves
    • Gift Guides
    • Merch
Home » Appetizers & Small Bites

August 29, 2023

Shishito Rellenos Recipe

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

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.

A wooden serving board displays a batch of shishito rellenos alongside two different types of salsas.

Table of Contents

Toggle
    • What are Shishito Peppers?
    • Ingredients for Shishito Rellenos Recipe
    • How to Prepare Shishito Rellenos
    • Ready to Fry the Shishito Rellenos
  • Serving Shishito Rellenos as Part of Taco Night
  • Shishito Rellenos
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
      • Tempura Batter
      • Flour Coating
      • Garnish Options
    • Instructions 
    • Notes

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:

  • Vegan Mexican Sopes
  • Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
A wooden serving board displays a batch of shishito rellenos alongside two different types of salsas.

Shishito Rellenos

Frances Kellar
This is a fun spin on Chile Rellenos that uses shishito peppers when they’re in season. Small but packed with cheesy goodness, the fried peppers make a fun dinner side or delicious appetizer for your gathering. 
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 servings

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.

Notes

Note: For the flour you can also use a 50/50 mix of all-purpose and Masa harina. About 1/2 cup of each. I’ve also used 1/2 cup Sonora flour (search for this online or through a flour share such as Farmer Mai) and a 1/2 cup of masa harina with great results. 
Keyword holiday appetizers, summer recipes, shishito peppers, chile rellenos, stuffed peppers
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Summer, Appetizers & Small Bites Tagged With: small bites, shishito peppers, appetizers, easy recipes, shishito rellenos, chile rellenos

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Photo of blogger and recipe developer, Frances Kellar, chopping vegetables on cutting board. Smiling at camera.

Hi, I’m Frances! Welcome to Cooking with Our CSA. I’m a self-taught cook, recipe developer, and food blogger. I’m here to help you cook and eat well with the changing seasons all while supporting our local food systems.

Cooking doesn’t need to be complicated; but it does need to be delicious! Let’s get cooking!

Learn More →

Currently Trending

  • Portrait photo of finished dish of Baguette French Toast with Mascarpone Custard Recipe. The dish is garnished with fresh raspberries and maple syrup.
    Baguette French Toast with Mascarpone Custard Recipe
  • Portrait image of a slice of the Breakfast Strata for Two that's generously served on a wide rimmed ceramic plate.
    Breakfast Strata for Two with Spinach and Mushrooms
  • Portrait photo of 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on that have been roasted until crisp and golden brown for this French Roast Chicken Recipe.
    Simple French Herbs Roast Chicken Thighs Recipe
  • Portrait of the finished side dish: Brown Butter Colcannon with Cabbage, Spinach, and Leeks. Served in a large bowl accented with a kitchen towel.
    Brown Butter Colcannon with Cabbage, Spinach, and Leeks

In Season: Spring

  • Flatlay image of a halved piece of toast with a pat of butter and a dollop of Mandarin Marmalade spread across the top of the toast. The jar of marmalade labeled "Mandarin Marmalade" is visible in the upper right corner of the photo.
    Mandarin or Tangerine Marmalade Recipe (Easy Canning)
  • Portrait photo of the finished Blood Orange and Vanilla Olive Oil Snack Cake. It's garnished with powdered sugar and candied blood orange slices. The entire 9 inch cake round sits atop a cream colored ceramic plate on top of a sage colored linen napkin.
    Blood Orange and Vanilla Olive Oil Snack Cake Recipe
  • Close up Portrait photo of sautéed sugar snap peas with fresh citrus zest and mint.
    Quick Saute Sugar Snap Peas with Citrus and Mint
  • Portrait photo of prepared Asparagus Tart with Puff Pastry freshly baked to golden brown and crispy. Asparagus spears have been roasted in a creme fraîche flavored with caramelized shallot and spring onion.
    Easy Springtime Asparagus Tart with Puff Pastry
See more Spring →

Footer

↑ back to top

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

Stay Connected

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates
  • Contact me here

Learn More

  • Press
  • CSA Resources

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2024 Brunch Pro on the Feast Plugin

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required