Spiced Citrus Salmon over Spaghetti Squash

It's Squash Season! True, squash is actually available year-round. In the summer you can find fresh summer squash, my new favorite Zephyr squash, zucchini, Pattypan, and more. The varieties are endless - and delicious. But with winter and fall you get into a new crop that matches the crispness in the air and the beautiful leaves beginning to change color. This recipe uses one of my favorites, the classic Spaghetti Squash, but watch for Butternut, Buttercup, Acorn, Pumpkin, Hubbard, and other varieties to appear in recipes over the next few months.

I paired this salmon and squash meal with one of my favorite starch recipes, crisp smashed potato cakes. They combine the delicious, unbeatable wonder of freshly made smashed potatoes (healthy, of course) with a crisp outside that delights. I've never understood why people routinely load up mashed potatoes with cream and salt when they are so easily made healthy and are just as delicious.

Difficulty: easy
Timing: 1 hr 35 min (mostly just for the spaghetti squash to bake)
Cost: $21.23



Spiced Citrus Salmon over Spaghetti Squash


Ingredients:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp orange rind, freshly grated
1.5 tsp five-spiced powder (found in Chinese section if not with spices)
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 spaghetti squash
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb salmon fillet
1 tbsp dijon mustard

First, you'll want to prepare your spaghetti squash. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Pierce your squash several times, all over, with a fork. Then place it in a sturdy dish or on a sturdy cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Slice the squash in half and let it cool just long enough so that you can safely touch it. Scoop out any seeds and the pulp around them and discard them. Once those are removed and you can see the "meat" of the squash, scrape the inside of the squash with a fork. The tines will help break loose the squash and it should look like spaghetti noodles. Continue to scrape until you have removed all of the strands of the squash. It should be 3-4 cups in all.

Place the squash in a bowl and add the tomatoes. Then, in a separate small bowl, mix together the sugar, orange rind, five-spice powder, and black pepper. Once the spices are thoroughly mixed, remove about 2 tbsp of the mixture and add it to the squash and tomatoes. Leave the rest of the spice mixture to the side for now. Toss the spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and spices until evenly mixed.

Grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place the squash mixture in the dish and spread out evenly. Place the salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Spread the dijon mustard evenly on top of the salmon. Then, take the rest of the spice mixture, and sprinkle and/or crust that on top of the fish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your desired finish.