Grilled manganji peppers seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice, topped with katsuobushi.

Sometimes mistakes lead to new dishes, and this squarely fits into that group. During summer, I love roasting peppers and simply serving them with a splash of olive oil or toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt.

A few weeks ago, I was in a rush, and instead of a sprinkle, I accidentally poured salt onto the roasted peppers. After scooping off the extra salt, they were still inedibly salty. My fix was to “wash” the peppers with lemon juice. Thankfully, it worked, and the balance of salty and tangy tastes was a beautifully refreshing contrast to the smoky peppers.

I’ve since made it a few times (cutting back on the amount of salt), and it’s become a family favorite. I used a mild Japanese variety of green pepper called Manganji, but this would work with any pepper with meaty flesh and thin skin, like Anaheim or Poblano would work.