Swai: Inexpensive fish with mild flavor

Published November 2, 2011

Shakespeare wrote that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. If he were writing today, he might choose to use fish as his metaphor (though Juliet might have objected to being compared to a fish), since some of the fish available for cooking go by a confusing rotation of names.

One of the hardest fish to identify has been swai, which has been available frozen in local stores for the past few years. Swai has been through more name changes than Prince, P. Diddy and Lady Gaga combined.

Originally marketed in the U.S. as Vietnamese catfish, swai is also sometimes called basa, white roughy or striper.

Although Galveston County is fortunate to have a number of fish markets selling fresh, locally sourced seafood, swai has been making inroads because of its low price and mild flavor. Even those of us with a preference for fresh Gulf seafood over frozen, imported, farm-raised fish became curious. After seeing swai advertised in the weekly grocery circulars for more than a year, it was time to give it a try.

As a mild, firm fish, swai can be substituted for tilapia or catfish in most recipes. It can be grilled for fish tacos, broiled in fillets or sauted in a stir-fry. With a texture similar to red snapper, the fillets also can be pan-blackened or baked.

Like tilapia, swais lack of strong fish flavor makes it a blank canvas for marinades, spices and breadings. Not everyone sees that as a positive; many diners prefer fish to retain some of the flavor of their aquatic environment, and swai is not the fish for them. Its also not the appropriate choice for anyone adhering to kosher guidelines. Like other catfish, swai is not kosher.

Even with advice from the knowledgeable staff at the fish markets, it sometimes can be difficult to make good, informed choices about seafood. One of the best and most accessible sources of information is Seafood Watch, a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium that guides consumers and businesses to choose seafood that is healthy and will ensure healthy oceans.

Seafood Watch guides are available in several on-the-go forms for use while grocery shopping or dining. The aquarium publishes card-sized pocket guides to regional seafood and has free Seafood Watch apps downloadable to smart phones.

Each guide rates seafood items as best choices, good alternatives or avoid based on sustainability, recommending seafood fished or farmed in ways that dont harm the environment.

With 75 percent of the worlds fisheries overfished or fished to capacity, Seafood Watch helps cooks and diners make choices that will ensure our children can eat the same fish as adults that they learned to love at the family dinner table.

Swai is rated by Seafood Watch as a good alternative, because it is farmed and eats a varied diet. Best Choices in the Southeast regional guide, which includes Texas, are largely farmed, such as U.S. catfish and crayfish. Blue crabs, flounder and bay shrimp all are in the good alternatives category because of concerns about habitat loss.

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Fish Tacos

Creamy Picante Sauce

2 cups sour cream

3/4 cup picante sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pico de Gallo

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeo chiles

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

Tacos

2 pounds mild white fish (such as swai or tilapia)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic salt

16 corn tortillas

To prepare the sauce, mix the sour cream, picante sauce and cumin in a bowl. Chill until serving time.

To prepare the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeo chiles, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a bowl and mix well.

To prepare the tacos, place the fish in a single layer on one or two sheets of heavy duty foil. Dot with the butter. Sprinkle with the cumin and garlic salt.

Fold the foil to enclose the fish and seal well. Place on a grill rack.

Grill over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Heat the tortillas in a microwave or in a small amount of hot oil in a skillet until soft.

Fill a doubled tortilla with the fish, sauce and pico de gallo and serve.

MAKES: 4 to 6

SOURCE: Culinary Classics from Beachside to Boardwalk, published by the Junior League of Galveston County

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Ginger-scented Fish with Sugar Snap Peas

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 1/4 pound tilapia or swai fillets, cut into 2×1-inch pieces

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (preferably organic)

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the fish pieces with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a medium plate. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip half the fish pieces in flour to coat on both sides and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side (the fish will be opaque on the outside but not cooked through). Transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining fish. Dont wipe the pan.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the green onions, ginger and red pepper and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar snaps and stir to coat with oil and seasonings. Add the broth. Cover and simmer until the sugar snaps are almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Carefully add the fish to the skillet. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens slightly and the fish is cooked through, stirring gently and spooning the sauce over the fish, about 2 minutes. (The fish will feel resilient to the touch and be opaque in the center when cut with a small knife.)

Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the soy sauce mixture. Divide among four warmed plates and serve immediately.

SERVES: 4

SOURCE: Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

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