Swai fish provides great value for the nutrition that it packs

Have you heard of Swai fish? Well, if you haven't, you eventually will. It is beginning to show up in many of the national grocery chains including Kroger's. This is a fresh water fish that produces a wonderful mild flavored flaky, white meat. It is primarily raised in S.E. Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand). A versatile fish, you can bake, bread and fry, and poach it. Because of its mild flavor, it lends well to sauces and various spices. And if that hasn't sold you on it, how about $3.50 to $4.50 per pound? This is an unbelievable low price when you consider Halibut, Salmon, or Sole running 3 to 4 times that amount. To top it off, it is very nutritious as well, with only 100 calories per 4 ounces, 2 to 3 grams of fat, and about 50 mg. of cholesterol. These figures are even lower than chicken.

Poaching or baking of course will keep the fat and cholesterol amounts low; however, breading and sauteeing produces an incredible entree that is crunchy, moist, and very savory. I have chosen to do just that. Before I do however, I marinated this fish with olive oil, juices from 1 Meyer lemon, garlic, a dash of rice vinegar, salt and pepper, for about 4 hours in the fridge. Then I dredged each piece in flour, followed by a bath in an eggwash, and finally rolled it in a dish of Panko bread crumbs. I heated up about 2 cups of vegetable oil to 350 degrees and fried each side for about 2 minutes, and finally transferred the fish to a 350 oven for about 15 minutes. It turned out so incredible!

This recipe is perfect for fish and chips and a nice replacement for the much more expensive Halibut. It turned out every bit as good or better than that which you can find in some of the dinner restaurants around town. Squeeze a half lemon over the top, or make a sauce of mayonnaise and wasabi paste, or simply a sauce of sesame oil mixed with rice vinegar and soy sauce. This fish is truly one that you must try before the grocers and resellers decide to jack the price up like they do with everything else that becomes popular. Most of the Swai fish you can find has already been flash frozen, so the freshness is well retained. Buy a pound of it and if you like it, go back and buy another 5 pounds and stick it in the freezer. It will easily keep 6 months. You won't regret it and neither will your pocket book!