Baked Catfish with Lemon Spaghetti

I was craving fish (big shocker there) the other night and decided this would be a pretty easy meal to put together. Full disclosure - I wanted tilapia, but Harris Teeter had sold out, so I settled for fresh catfish. It still turned out well, but I would probably use tilapia if I had a choice. The Lemon Spaghetti is a recipe adapted from Giada de Laurentis on The Food Network, who just so happens to be my favorite :) I will admit that the pasta portion tasted better the second day after having some time to set.

Baked Catfish
Place fish in a baking dish greased with PAM. Season with salt, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper and lemon juice. Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes, or until fish is flaky.

Lemon Spaghetti

• 1 pound spaghetti (I used linguine)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.