Blistered Shishito Peppers

This appetizer served in Japanese bars, American steakhouses and everywhere in between is finger food at its best. The charred, sweet peppers have a built-in handle, and they really don’t need more than flaky salt for seasoning. That said, you could garnish further with lemon or lime zest, gomasio, bonito flakes, grated cheese, smoked paprika, sumac and so on. You can also cook Padrón peppers using the same method. They have a slightly different shape, but are similarly thin-skinned and mild. One warning, though: Each batch of shishito and Padrón peppers have a handful of surprisingly hot peppers that look identical to the tame ones, so proceed with caution.