When comfort food, clean ingredients, and seasonal flavors take the spotlight, you have a winning dish at hand. Say hello to an enriching yet light combination of pan-seared, US Farm-Raised Catfish over butternut squash risotto.
We keep catfish on hand in our freezer to quickly defrost and prepare on a whim for dinners. The fish is an excellent source of protein, free of hormones, and low in saturated fat. Catfish is not only clean and healthy but also conveniently cooks within minutes! In this case, I pan-seared the fillets in butter with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. A squeeze of lemon atop the golden fillets seals the deal.
For the risotto, I stir up my standard recipe. As the arborio rice reaches close to al dente, I pour in the final cup of liquid—a blend of roasted butternut squash and chicken broth—to achieve a creamy (without cream!) consistency that beckons autumn and holiday coziness. The risotto base is speckled with cubes of remaining roasted squash, fresh thyme sprigs, and your US Farm-Raised Catfish protein. Bon appetite!
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt + Pepper
- 1 butternut squash, halved with seeds removed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 4 US Farm-Raised Catfish fillets
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lemon
- Fresh thyme
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush butternut squash halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place face-down on a baking sheet. Bake until roasted and fork-tender, about 40 minutes.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rice, cooking until slightly translucent and toasted, for 2 minutes.
Pour in wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to pot, stirring constantly, until rice has absorbed all stock. Continue cooking, adding another portion of stock whenever rice mixture looks dry, and stirring constantly. Continue cooking until all but 1 cup of the stock is incorporated, at which point your squash should be ready. In a bowl, add the broth and one half of the squash. Use an emulsion blender to combine and immediately add to the risotto. Cook until the rice is creamy and tender.
Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh thyme. Add catfish fillets to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.
Cube the remaining roasted butternut squash.
To plate, ladle the risotto on each plate. Top with the squash and catfish fillet.
Serves 4-6
Cara Greenstein celebrates intentional and exceptional cuisine in her award-winning food and lifestyle blog, Caramelized, which offers recipes and restaurant reviews, food-focused travel itineraries, and endless tablescape tips. Follow @cara_melized on Instagram for daily inspiration and bookmark her recipes at Caramelizedblog.com.
