The forecast for today was 80 degrees F, so I thought I might cook, early. We went to the market around 8 a.m. and I found a spaghetti squash. I’ve always wanted to cook one of these! The freezer yielded up some nice cod fillets.
I think it’s almost miraculous the way the squash shreds into spaghetti like strands. I didn’t really believe it until today 🙂 Most people say that the squash is tasteless but I don’t think so. It’s just mild, and with salt, pepper and butter, it’s a great dish! However, I listened to the masses and made a sauce from some things in the fridge.
I cooked the squash for an hour but next time, I think I’ll cut it back to 50 minutes.
If you don’t want to bother with the fish, the sauce and squash is a fine lunch.
Spaghetti Squash with Pan Fried Cod
1 whole spaghetti squash
4 cod fillets
Emeril’s essence
1/2 cup bacon, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 red pepper, coarsely diced
3-4 really large garlic cloves, chopped
20 multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large tomato, seeded and coarsely diced
2-3 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup red wine
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
Poke the whole squash all over with a knife to release the steam. Cook in a 375 F oven for 50 minutes.
Sprinkle the cod fillets with Emeril’s essence and set aside.
Cook the bacon until crisp and brown, remove from the pan and drain. Add the olive oil to the pan, the onion and pepper, then cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, basil leaves, salt and pepper, then cook for 5 minutes. Add the red wine and boil for an additional 2-3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Remove the squash from the oven, cut in half vertically and take out the seeds and random pulp in the centers. Shred the squash by scraping the sides with the times of a fork, put the strands in a large bowl and immediately toss with the bacon, parmesan and the 2 tbsp of basil. Set aside and keep warm.
Add the olive oil and butter to a clean skillet and pan fry the fillets for 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with the squash and sauce.
Wine suggestion: Fleurie
The temperature and humidity dropped overnight here – back to cooking!
That sounds like a fab lunch, your freezer is so giving 😉
Yes this temperature, while still a little warm, is a lot more reasonable. Otherwise, I’d rather starve to death then cook. But then, there’s no worries. France has traiteurs 🙂
What a beautiful tomato sauce! The cherry tomatoes really add a lot of flavor. Delicious!
Thank you Tessa. Somehow I always end up with surplus cherry tomatoes 🙂
The photos of the sauce are lovely…as is the recipe…
Thank you Stewart.
Yum!!
I gres spaghetti squash last year, and when I cooked them I didn’t really manage to get the spaghetti like strings. Did you cut them in half to bake? Curious, as I like the idea !
Hi Claire. No, I baked it whole, then halved it vertically before removing pulp and seeds. I should have said that in the recipe. I’ll edit.
Thanks, I’ll give that a go next time as I really do like the idea 🙂
I love spaghetti squash, fond memories of eating them as a kid with butter, salt and pepper and a little grated cheese. Love that you have made a sauce for it too. My dad used to boil them, which removed a lot of the flavour, but I always bake mine halved in the oven with a little water now.
Cheers
Marcus
I finally discovered it Marcus but it will be a favorite.
I have not heard of spaghetti squash – I would like to try it.
It’s a nice tasting squash. I don’t know it’s origins but I know we also have it in the U.S.
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