Catfish Meuniere with Squash Cous-Cous Pilaf

Delicata Squash is amazing. It's sweet, tender, and very thin skinned which means it's a lot easier to use than it's relatives such as Butternut, Buttercup, Spaghetti, and Acorn squash. You eat the skin on the delicata, just as you would a yellow squash or zucchini skin. It's also a lot easier to cut and faster to cook than some of the thicker, harder varieties. So search it out in your local store. You'll most likely only find it in the fall, but these squash will store for months if kept in a cool, dark place so feel free to stock up on these delicious, inexpensive varieties.

Here, I made the squash in some cous cous with a few other veggies and served it with roasted brussels sprouts and a catfish meuniere. If you've never had meuniere before, do not be fooled by the simplicity. While it only uses a few basic ingredients, the fish comes out incredibly flavorful and delicious with just a few key ingredients. You can easily make fish this style with any white fish.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 30 min
Cost: $15.20



Squash Cous-Cous Pilaf
Time: 25 min

Ingredients:
1 delicata squash
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c onion, diced
3/4 c mushrooms, diced
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1 box mushroom cous cous

Cut the delicata squash in half. Scoop out the mushy insides. Chop the rest (skin is very soft and can just be left on, like zucchini or yellow squash) into small cubes, about 1/2" on each side.

Heat a pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and let that heat as well. Add the squash and saute for 5 minutes, or until it just begins to soften. Add the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and Thyme. Stir well and saute for 5 minutes or until the onions and mushrooms begin to soften and wilt.

Pour in the mushroom cous cous (uncooked still). Stir and cook for 1 minute, and then add the right amount of water, as directed on the cous cous box. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat, keep the lid on, and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

Catfish Meuniere
Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 lb catfish
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp flour
1.5 tbsp butter
2 tbsp lemon juice

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp of butter and let it melt, swirling to coat the pan. Sprinkle the catfish with pepper and flour. Put the fish in the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Remove the fish from the pan and set aside for a minute, but keep warm.

Melt the rest of the butter in the pan. Swirl as it melts. Use the spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice and mix. Pour the sauce over the fish before serving.