Pistachio-Crusted Catfish with Clementine Salad, Israeli Couscous & Roasted Fennel

Just over 14 years after first throwing itself off Chuck Nolan's raft in Castaway, 'Wilson' arrived in my home and we ate him.  True confession time ~ I have never cooked with fennel before. Prior to tonight my experience with this culinary enigma was limited to the shriveled up, horrid, seeds encased in a little glass bottle. Maybe, like me, you see this in the store and scramble to the plump comfort of vine-ripened tomatoes ~ if so, then you are making a mistake; one that I hope you will feel compelled to address soon.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 600 calorie servings ~ 26 Weight Watchers points per serving and will take you about 30-35 minutes to prepare);

• Catfish Fillets (I used two 5 ounce portions)
• 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous
• 1 Cara Cara Orange
• 1 Clementine
• 1 Fennel Bulb with Fronds
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 Bunch Arugula
• 1 Bunch Mint
• 2 Tablespoons Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Cup Pistachios

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. A few things that might help your experience;

• To egg wash, or not to egg wash...I will confess that I was thrown off by how I was instructed to 'crust' the fish (and based on the message boards, I wasn't the only one). Throwing caution to the wind, we ignored this 'suggestion' and ran the catfish through an egg wash, crusted them up, and allow them to rest in a Ziploc bag beforehand.
• Zester - after the experience trying to 'mince' lemon zest last night, I bought one on the way tonight ~ best $15 I have ever spent.
• For reference, we found that the fennel had the most flavor at the top, in the fronds, and it mellowed as you went down into the bulb.

We really enjoyed cooking and eating this dish. Don't know if it was the fact that we cooked it together or if it was all the flavors but, we thought that 'Wilson' was pretty damn tasty.