It may surprise you that this entire plate of squash was eaten by four people in one sitting. It may surprise you that I’ve been craving this dish ever since I made it. It may also surprise you that lemon juice and a dash of fish sauce (yes, fish sauce) are all that’s needed to make seemingly flavorless summer squash taste irresistibly fresh. A sprinkling of parmesan, chives, basil, and toasted pistachios don’t hurt either.
And that’s exactly what this dish involves – thinly sliced squash (about two large ones) tossed in lemon juice and a teaspoon of fish sauce, arranged with style (or not) on a large serving platter, topped with parmesan, finely chopped chives, basil, and toasted pistachios. I chose to sub the buckwheat groats (an Alison classic) because I already had toasted and chopped pistachios on hand. If you’re considering skipping the fish sauce, don’t. It adds a very subtle complexity that lemon juice alone won’t provide. No one asked, “is there fish sauce in this?” But just, “how did you make the squash taste so good?”
A future summer go-to if I ever had one.
130 recipes cooked, 95 to go.
