I absolutely love shishito peppers and can eat them with just about every meal. I usually grow them every year, and they go perfectly with salt and lemon or right off the plant in the garden. This year, I impulsively decided to add serranos after seeing a seed packet while buying potting mix. I thought they'd make a great addition to homemade salsa! I started 5 cells of each pepper.
I placed the shishitos under a fancy grow light, but the poor serranos went under an old, ineffective one that has historically killed my plants. Surprisingly, the shishitos are raggedy, suffering from scorched lower leaves, while the serranos are thriving, looking strong and healthy with plenty of emerald-green leaves. Now I'm left wondering what to do with all these serranos since 5 cells seem excessive. Do you have any good recipes to share?
3 Answers
You could smoke those serranos and then dehydrate them in the oven! Once they're dried, grind them up to use as chili powder. It's a great way to preserve the heat and add flavor to many dishes!
Try making a mango habanero hot sauce! It's similar to what you can do with serranos. Check out this recipe for inspiration: [Chili Pepper Madness](https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/caribbean-style-mango-habanero-hot-sauce-video/). You can adjust based on the flavor profile of serranos, which are a bit more vegetal than habaneros.
Thanks! I guess I can experiment and try to add my own twist to the hot sauce this year. It looks like I'll be trying a bunch of different recipes!
Consider trying shishimai peppers instead of shishitos next year. They have prolific production, are disease-resistant, and don't have the roulette factor—no surprises in heat level! I grew both side by side one year, and the shishimai produced about 3-4 times more fruit!
The roulette peppers are part of the fun for me, but I'll look into shishimai for sure! Maybe I'll run a similar side-by-side experiment next season.
I have a smoker! Any recommendations on time, temperature, or wood?