Shishito Pepper Salad with Sizzled Mint & Sesame

This shishito pepper salad is one of my go-to, easy-but-impressive, lunches or dinners. And yes, it’s just a can of beans and some sizzled veggies, but somehow, it feels interesting and exciting, and I can only credit the mint, sesame and coriander for that. They are staples in Persian cooking, and I’ve started to find myself drawn towards their flavor profile more and more. And after blistering some shishito peppers, they were just begging for some sizzled spices to go with them!

This is my favorite quick and easy dinner if you are looking for something filled with protein, truly nourishing, and packed with flavor. It’s plant-based, easy to make, and surprisingly filling – most likely thanks to the olive oil and butter beans. (Ahem – mediterranean diet who??) But, of course, amid all its flavors, I couldn’t skip the pickled red onion. This salad has plenty of *zing* to it, but the punch of sweet, salty and briny flavor the onions give is simply irreplaceable.

First, let’s talk about shishito peppers

Shishito peppers are one of my favorite bases for a warm salad. They are light, easy to cook, and some have a hidden spice in them that won’t hurt (I promise), but just adds an extra kick! They char beautifully, which is how you have probably seen them served. In restaurants, I usually see blistered shishitos served whole, instead of chopped up like in this shishito pepper salad. There’s nothing wrong with this per se, but it just feels like there are so many other ways to eat shishito peppers! I prefer multiple kinds of shishito-service, but in this salad specifically, I thought I would switch it up.

Shishito peppers are a mild pepper, and you will usually find them green, although sometimes they can be red, or a mixture of both. The peppers start red, but as they ripen, that’s how you get to their signature green color. I find them in most grocery stores, but if you’re stumped, you can usually find them at Asian specialty grocers as well!

Ingredients you will need for this simple shishito pepper salad

This salad is minimal, but the flavor return is BIG. Here is the bulk of what you will need:

• 1 pound shishito peppers, stems removed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander pods
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 15 ounce can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup picked red onions, for serving
• Aleppo pepper flakes optional, for serving

How to prepare this salad

This shishito-bean salad is relatively easy (that’s the whole point!) Just start by cooking the peppers in batches. Blister the shishito peppers. Set a pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the peppers undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, or until they form char marks, agitate the pan and cook again until all sides are blistered. Transfer to a cutting board.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, chop them up crosswise into bite-sized pieces.
Keep the pan over medium heat and add 2-3 more tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring often, until they are golden. Add the mint, coriander, red pepper flakes and a hefty pinch of salt. Give everything a swirl, then turn off the heat.

Add the vinegar and honey and stir into the sesame mixture. Taste and season. Then add in the shishto peppers and mix to coat. Add in the butter beans and mix again.

Plate into two bowls and top with the red onions (don’t skip these, their zing is irreplaceable!) and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper as you prefer.

And that’s it for this shishito pepper salad with sizzled sesame, dried mint and coriander!

And if you make it and take pics, please tag me on Instagram or Pinterest, I would love to see. And of course, leave a comment if you have any questions! You all know this is the best place to reach me <3

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.