Stuffed Delicata Squash with Fish Paste

My friend Steph gave this great idea for using fish paste to stuff delicata squash! Just mix, stuff, and bake. It's delicious, unexpected, and a wonderful new way of enjoying fish paste ^_^

Do you know about fish paste? If not, you should! ^_^

Here's where we buy fish paste in Hawaii and how to cook with it. There are endless ways to cook with fish paste.

I love the classic fish paste dishes we grew up eating (like fish balls, fish patties, fish paste stuffed tofu, fish paste stuffed peppers, etc). And I'm always up for learning new ways. Steph had leftover fish paste after making fish paste stuffed tofu the other week.

She stuffed the leftovers into delicata squash and roasted them. It was delicious!

She told me. Then I recreated the recipe at home...and today, here for you ^_^

You'll notice that with all my fish paste mixtures, fish paste is the only protein used. Steph's grandma's mixture includes ground pork and egg.

It was my first time trying it this way and I LOVE it. The ground pork gives both sweetness and texture and the egg really helps to bind everything together.

We had this for dinner last night. It got a big thumbs up from the family and especially my mom who loves roasted squash.

Here's what you'll need:

• Delicata squash
• Fish paste
• Ground pork
• Soy sauce
• Egg
• Chen pi (dried tangerine peel)
• Green onions

Instructions

Let's get cooking! First, prepare the delicata squash!

Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash the squash. Pat and dry well.

Then cut the squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out all the seeds.

Drizzle a little olive oil on both the inside and outside of the squash. Place the squash face down on a baking pan. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Note: We're only baking for 15 minutes, because we'll need to bake again after we stuff the squash. Prepare the filling.

While the squash is roasting, we prepare the fish paste mixture! Place the chen pi (dried tangerine peel) in a small bowl. Cover with hot water.

Let sit for 5 minutes until the chen pi is is soft. Drain the water. Finely mince the chen pi.

Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the fish paste, ground pork, soy sauce, egg, green onions, and the minced chen pi. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.

Stuff the squash. Use a spoon to gently stuff the delicata squash halves with the fish paste mixture.

Repeat till you've stuffed all four pieces. Bake the stuffed squash at 400F for 15 minutes.

Eat and enjoy. Remove from the oven and serve hot!

One squash per person. Great with rice ^_^

Top Tip

Do you have extra fish paste leftover after stuffing all the squash? Use it to make fish paste patties!

It's easy and doesn't require any additional ingredients. All you do is form the fish paste into rounds and pan fry. it's super good and simple, makes for a great easy lunch or dinner. Also great for kids school lunch!

FAQ How long do leftovers keep?

Keep leftovers for 2-3 days, refrigerated and in a sealed container. How to reheat?

Reheat in the over for 10 minutes at 350F. Where can you buy fish paste?

This is where we like to buy fish paste - it is so good!

I'm working on a homemade fish paste recipe...soon, soon ^_^

You can also buy fish paste from large Chinese supermarkets. The fish paste is stored in the refrigerated or freezer section.

I haven't personally bought fish paste from the supermarket before, but great to know it's an option. Do you have more recipes using fish paste?

Oh yes, yes. You can:

• Make Fish balls - great for adding to noodle soups!.
• Stuff the fish paste into tofu and pan fry.
• Mix the fish paste with fresh herbs for fish paste patties.
• Make fish paste stuffed peppers.