Slender, wrinkled, slightly curved Japanese frying peppers, 3–4 inches long × about ½–¾ inch wide. Harvested and eaten immature while bright green (some strains blush red if left to ripen, but flavor is best green). Thin-walled, tender skin that blisters beautifully when blistered or sautéed.

Compact, bushy plants averaging 18–30 inches tall and wide—perfect for containers, patios, or small-space gardens. Early and extremely prolific (one plant can produce 50–100+ pods in a season). Starts fruiting quickly (60–70 days from transplant) and keeps pumping out peppers until frost. Loves heat and full sun; thrives in pots (5-gallon minimum) and handles summer humidity well.

Mild, sweet, and slightly smoky-charred when quickly cooked (blistered in hot oil, charred on the grill, or sautéed). Classic preparation is simple: toss with oil, high heat for a few minutes, finish with coarse salt. Best eaten whole (stem and all) as an appetizer or bar snack.

Mostly sweet/mild (0–500 SHU), but the famous “Russian roulette” factor: roughly 1 in 10–20 pods (randomly) will be noticeably spicy (up to ~2,000–4,000 SHU). Shishito lovers embrace this occasional surprise—it’s part of the fun and tradition!

An East Asian (primarily Japanese) heirloom variety, long popular in Japan and Korea as a grilling/snacking pepper.
 
Sold in a 2.62" wide x 3.5" deep pot.