In mid June, The hardback garlic sends up its scape which is the flower bud of the garlic plant. Farmers pick them to encourage better growth of the bulb below ground. 

But what do you do with hundreds of scapes?  Share them with friends and follow the very simple recipe below. Prepared this way, they are so sweet and savory. Much milder than the below-ground bulbs to come.

50 garlic scapes
olive oil
sea salt

Drizzle the garlic scapes in olive oil, sprinkle in sea salt and grill over a hot bed of coals until browned and wilted. Can be served on its own or used as a bed for your favorite cut of grilled meat.

Note: The raw scapes keep very well in the fridge sealed in a zip lock bag.

Our most cherished recipes are both delicious and practical. This one fits both. We enjoy this dish a few times a week during the pepper harvest.


I first ate peppers in this style while living in India. I enjoyed taking the "tuk tuk" to the other side of town to visit a restaurant that served the most delicious "Thali" dinner. The Thali, which translates to "plate" is a version of our buffet with 7-10 foods served in small metal bowls all on the traditional stainless steel plate. The Indian twist is that the server happily refills any of the little dishes as you finish- until you emphatically put your hand up in an admission that you're stuffed. 

An assortment of salty little fried peppers (much spicier than shishitos) were always included in the Thali dinner at my favorite restaurant in the bustling town of Ahmedabad.

Here are some versions of this dish that we cook at home:


Variation #1

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon Canola oil in pan over high heat
2. Put shishito peppers in oil and cook 2 minutes until skins blister/char and the smokey pepper aroma is released
3. Turn until sides are cooked and the pepper is charred, puffed, and softened
4. Remove from heat to serving plate and sprinkle generously with sea salt or your favorite specialty salt (I recommend Maldon flake salt).

*Try the same recipe over a very hot grill.

Plan on 4-5 peppers per serving depending on the size.


Variation #2

Cut a slit in each pepper to pipe in or stuff with a soft goat cheese. Cook as above except ease off the salt due to the saltiness of the cheese.


Enjoy!