Swai Basa Fish

Our local grocery store was carrying this today and it looked and smelled good. It has been previously frozen, but the fillets are plump and firm. I had no idea what kind of fish this is but bought some anyway. I came home and googled it...apparently it is Thai or Vietnamese catfish. In the UK it's called River Cobbler.

So I am wondering, has anyone cooked this fish before? I was thinking of stuffing it with a shrimp salad and baking it. What do you all think? Does anyone know if it is Farm Raised or wild? I don't buy catfish or Tilapia anymore because they often taste dirty to me. I am hoping this won't be the case for this fish.

I won't touch this anymore, Maria, not since I found that they're mostly from the Mekong River, which is incredibly polluted. They sell basa fillets frozen everywhere here, and recently there was a lot of press about the chemicals that go into the production of imported fish and prawns. With small man's food allergies, we can't afford the risk. Plus we're fortunate, we have so much fresh local fish that there isn't really a need to buy imported.

Celia

Thanks Celia...I won't make this fish then. What a shame that they would sell this!

The reason so many Talipia and catfish have a bad taste is not to be blamed on the fish but on the fishmongers who clean them too carelessly, for both fish have livers and intestinal systems that release remarkably acidic and dirty flavors to the flesh if pierced during the gutting and/or filleting process.

I do not know how these fish are raised in Thailand but in many parts of the world they are farmed and this too is not helpful to firmness of flesh or flavor. In Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria Jordan for example, talipia grow naturally in lakes or not quite as naturally in fish ponds. The lake variety are always best.

With regard to catfish, not raised commercially in any of the Middle-Eastern countries but caught largely by private fishermen who know how to enjoy their charms (this writer included).

Best
Rogov

With regard to catfish, not raised commercially in any of the Middle-Eastern countries but caught largely by private fishermen who know how to enjoy their charms (this writer included).

Best
Rogov

Daniel,

Do they engage in noodling or hand fishing for catfish over there?

Dave, Hi....

I've seen a few of the Bedouin noodling for catfish (that is to say, catching them entirely by hand) but that's pretty well gone now except for the septugenerians. Most of the Bedouin, Arab and Jewish population who hope to catch enough for commercial value toss nets into the streams/rivers in which they are found. The amateurs, like myself, use a rod and reel (I use either a favorite lure or just bait my hook with a mixture of bread and cheese). At times I have done some fly fishing for trout in parts of the Jordan river and even then have managed to hook a few catfish.

Best
Rogov

Daniel, am I remembering correctly that catfish aren't 'kosher' because they're bottom-feeders? If so, is there much of a market for them?

Our local fishmonger sells this fish. I have had it twice, found it tasty, especially for the price. Both times, it was grilled.

Thanks Celia...I won't make this fish then. What a shame that they would sell this!

Maria, your basa fillets might be coming from somewhere else? But when I asked our fishmonger, he said the stuff locally available here was "Mekong River catfish". That was enough for me.

But when I asked our fishmonger, he said the stuff locally available here was "Mekong River catfish". That was enough for me.

I have seen footage of the Mekong on TV and it makes the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland look like a pristine brook. The Cuyahoga is the river that was so polluted it actually caught on fire.

Daniel, am I remembering correctly that catfish aren't 'kosher' because they're bottom-feeders? If so, is there much of a market for them?

Shel, Hi.....

Some observant Jews avoid catfish because they are bottom-feeders but what truly stops them from being kosher is that they do not have scales.

As to the market - mostly in upswing, non-kosher restaurants, only in a few fish stores, and in my kitchen (well, and the kitchens of many others who do not keep kashrut). Easy to find at fishmongers in Akko (a port town occupied by Moslems, Christians and Jews) and on occasion in fish shops in Jaffa.

Best
Rogov

Thanks everyone for all the info. Very interesting, Daniel, about the liver of the fish...I never knew that. It would make sense though, since when I have Tilapia in a restaurant it's always delicious. Probably because the chef cleans the fish himself or has a very good fishmonger.

Celia - I am sure it must be from the Mekong. Thanks again for the warning!

But when I asked our fishmonger, he said the stuff locally available here was "Mekong River catfish". That was enough for me.

I have seen footage of the Mekong on TV and it makes the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland look like a pristine brook. The Cuyahoga is the river that was so polluted it actually caught on fire.

Twice.

Catch your own! And simultaneously hearken back to a colonial era when Vietnam was the French's war!

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=3666

I grew up on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and thought they were pretty dirty. The Mekong made them look like the Blue Lagoon (without Brooke Shields) in '68.