I saw a supermarket ad this week offering swai fillets at $2.99 per pound, a savings of $2. I hadn’t heard of this economical, mild-tasting fish so — wondering what is swai? — I looked into it, finding it was also new to Tightwad Tod, a blogger at Consumer Reports. Seems many unfamiliar but budget-friendly fish are appearing in this economy. The experts say swai is versatile like the formerly-inexpensive tilapia; it can be grilled, broiled or coated with crumbs and fried.
Tightwad Tod spoke to someone at the National Fisheries Institute, whose site still lacks any mention of swai, and learned it is similar to catfish. In fact, wikipedia and other sources say it is catfish. It’s farmed in the US and in Southeast Asia and the Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends checking for the country of origin because American swai is farmed in a more ecologically-responsible manner.
When I was near the market that advertised it, I stopped in to check. They were sold out. Not one fillet left at that price. Is anyone surprised?
Update Aug 11 2009: I finally tried swai last month. For my impressions and a photo of what swai’s flesh looks like, please see Tried Fried Swai, Liked It.
Related post on From Scratch: About Tilapia
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I’ve not heard of swai. I don’t think they’re selling it in our area yet. However, I like catfish, so if they’re basically the same fish I’d buy whatever’s cheaper.
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I’m with you, Kathy. I wish I liked catfish.
Let me know what you think if you ever have a chance to try it.
I would have to disagree. I like tilapia and swai but I don’t care as much for catfish. Swai is more akin to the taste of flounder — light and mild. Catfish has softer flesh and a slightly different taste. I would not compare the two at all.
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Hi, Lee. Welcome and thanks for that input. I might try it now. I returned to that store a 2nd time, still no swai, but I was able to find out it’s from Vietnam.
If their country of origin sign were any less accessable to consumers, it would be in the employee lounge. If there is one. I’m going to talk to the manager about moving it. If not, I’ll report them. It really gets my goat when companies adhere to the letter of a law but violate the spirit of the law.
Thanks for your comment!
I never heard of Swai until my Sister just asked me to look it up.
I LOVE Talapia and it supposedly is just like it. I told her and she is cooking some up tonight. I will let you know how it is because both of us HATE the taste of fish. This may be another fish for me to try!
She is reading it with egg and breadcrumbs and frying it in Canola and Olive Oil. I’ll get back to you………..if we can eat it….ANYONE CAN!
FISH TASTING HATERS!!!!!
I’m eager to hear what you think of swai then!
I’ve just lightly breaded my swai filet in corn muffin mix and sauteed it in a 50/50 blend of butter and canola oil. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and a bit of garlic salt. It was incredible. Sweet, mild, flaky, tender. I can eat this three to four times a week with no problem!
Welcome, Tracy, and thanks for the great idea. I’ll bet it would be fine with seasoned cornmeal instead of a mix too. Don’t you just love it when something that doesn’t bust the budget turns out be terrific?
I hope you see you here again!
Just tried swai for the first time. I’d never heard of it, but it looked good and was such a great price, thought I’d try it. Lightly breaded with seasoned flour/breadcrumbs and pan fried in a tiny bit of olive oil -wow, it was delicious! My family loves fish, but it has gotten quite pricey, so I’m hoping the price of swai stays low.
Hello, Amy. Welcome! Happy to hear another positive report. I’m waiting for that market to get it back; I’ve never seen it again after that first week or two, which is baffling since it sold like crazy. There are several other supermarkets here, but nobody has carried swai. If I do see it again I’ll have to try breading it. I usually just saute fish seasoned with salt and pepper in some oil with a touch of butter, then deglaze the pan to have a pan sauce.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I found swai in the freezer section at Mother’s Market in Santa Ana, CA. I had never heard of it, but thought it looked like a typical white fish (at a better price). I haven’t seen it fresh yet. The Asian supermarkets nearby will probably carry it.
I breaded mine like Tracy had, but cooked in olive oil. My husband and baby loved it.
Hi, Cara! Thanks for your input. I finally had some — it was fried — and what struck me most is how filling it was. I guess it’s because it’s not a delicate white fish at all. I got it for a song ($1.99 per pound!) and plan to write about it this week.
Now that I’ve tasted it I totally understand a baby liking it. Swai really has a lot going for it.
I hope you’ll return!
I have been eating swai about 4 times per week since I first tasted it a few months ago. The funny thing is, I am not a big seafood lover. Actually, I don’t remember the last time I ate seefood before trying Swai. My kids LOVE it. I usually coat it with a seasoned “fish fry” coating…sometimes Cajun style and serve it over wild rice and some homemade salsa…YUMMMM! My new favorite dinner!
Sounds delicious, Debra — thanks! I think when I write the update I’ll include the ways people here in comments have prepared it. Some people take a pass on fish because they’re not sure what to do with it. That combo of wild rice and homemade salsa (care to share your recipe?) sounds divine.
My albertsons had it on sale along with Tilapia for $1.99 a lb !!!!! I tried it last week lightly breaded and fried in seasoned olive oil …DELICIOUS , flakey and mild fish taste. Bought more to freeze this week as it is still just $1.99 !
Highly recommend it to anyone …I’m trying it on the grill next time.
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Great price, Jami! Don’t you love finding a great sale? I can’t remember the last time I saw tilapia at that price.
I think swai is a perfect candidate for grilling because it’s so firm and I’m sure it’ll taste delicious that way. Thanks for your comment…and for making the rest of us envious at your sale!
I live on the Gulf Coast and in my area, they sell a LOT of swai. It is marketed by some restaurants as grouper (my significant other is a server and tells them it is swai, not grouper). The fish is very good, very clean and not fishy at all. I am pretty new to fish eating, so I tend to stick with tilapia, grouper, flounder, and swai of course.
By the way, you guys should all take a step away from the frying pan and try grilling! We like to blacken ours and make fish sandwiches. Very tasty!
Hi, Jessica and welcome! I agree it’s ideal for grilling. I can’t imagine anyone familiar with grouper thinking swai is it. Swai is far milder in taste, don’t you think?
As you explore fish, don’t overlook cod and one of my favorites, turbot. If you think of turbot as a big flounder, you’ll be in the right neighborhood. Meantime, I posted a grouper recipe not long ago you might like:
http://foodpluspolitics.com/2009/05/18/grouper-with-tomatoes-garlic-and-basil/
Hope to see you again!
Hmm… I think that the same consistency is where the similarities lie. They are both pretty flaky. Mahi is one I consider to be a “meatier” fish, considering they are more steaks than fillets, and therefore a little fishier, at times, in taste.
I do want to try cod; is it available in my area? I always think of it as a New England fish..?
Thanks!
That must be it, Jessica, because the tastes are very different. You’re spot-on about mahi and they’re all sturdy fish, which cod is not.
I used cod for this recipe and you can see from the first photo (I hope) that its texture is delicate:
http://foodpluspolitics.com/2008/04/21/fish-fillets-in-parchment/
You probably do have cod available, perhaps frozen. It is fished in New England but I see it throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic; the person I was chatting with in comments is in Malaysia and cod’s available there.
I hope you won’t be a stranger around here!
I recently bought Swai to make Vietnamese Caramel Clay-pot Catfish ($3.99 lb). I’ve made this with U.S.-raised catfish before, but I think Swai is much better. There’s no “river bottom” taste and the flesh is mild, yet firm enough to stand up to the clay pot cooking method, as opposed to the U.S. catfish that was mushier.
Hi, Linda C. — welcome! That’s a great point about river bottom taste and might be why tilapia is never my first choice. I tried tilapia before I knew it’s a bottom feeder and wasn’t surprised to hear it.
Your clay pot method is one I need to explore. I have a covered clay baker designed for bread, (which I never use) but that shape would be fine for fish. Any tips would be most welcome. Thanks for your comment!
The flavor is amazing. I found it to have a “wet” texture if that makes sense. Kinda mushy. even fried. I would not compare it to talipia which to me, has a more dense flesh. I flakes but the Swai sorta “smashed” and fell apart. Maybe I didn’t cook it correctly. I would buy it again if I could find it farm raised in the USA. No comparison to Talipia.
Hi, thom! That’s interesting, because in my later post called (I think) Tried Fried Swai, Liked it, I mentioned and showed how sturdy the swai was. I haven’t cooked it myself yet and it’s quite possible the swai I had was overcooked. In any case, it was extremely filling.
Good luck finding California-farmed swai. I’ve only seen Vietnamese, even at a market currently carrying a California sole (which they are erroneously calling Dover Sole and nobody could tell me what it really is.)
Thanks for your comments!
Swai and Basa have been around the our local markets in NJ for a few years now. Both are now heard to find because this fish has become so popular worldwide that they have been over fished…especially the Basa which is is somewhat tastier. They are freshwater fish and not like and so is Talpia but they are much tastier than Talipia. I think that the Basa is closer to the taste of Monkfish. Since they are so popular, if you get a chance to find it you should load up your freezer while you can. I found that Australia is now farming this both fish to fill the demand here and in Europe.
Hi, Datadon. My apologies for taking so long to reply, but I’m in the throes of moving several hundred miles and time and internet access have both been elusive.
Basa is still elusive in many places and is certainly one to watch for. I was in a NJ Stop and Shop last week and saw several affordable fishes. As I recall, tilapia was on sale and that seems to be the go-to budget fish for many, even though it’s not the economical choice at full price that it was just a few years ago.Thanks for the info!
I live by the ‘fish on Friday’ rule. I found Swai in my local (Marietta, GA) Kroger yesterday on sale original price $5.99 lb, sale priced at $2.99 lb. Since I wasn’t sure what it is or how to properly prepare it I turned to the web for preparation ideas. In the end I baked it using my usual methond, 2 lbs, in spicy garlic butter with dill at 400 degrees for 20 mins. Well wouldn’t you know? Swai is absolutely delicious!
I am a fish lover in every sense of the word. Cod (Scrod), whiting, catfish, tilapia, hoki, monkfish (turbot), salmon, herring, bass, tuna, grouper, mahi mahi, et al. It all gets eaten at my table.
Swai is the newest addition to my long list of favorites. Please take time to discover for yourself how wonderful this fish can be.
Hi, Ari. That’s a great price! I’ve recently moved back to the Washington, DC area and haven’t seen swai anywhere but tilapia’s everywhere and usually about $7.99 lb. when not on sale. I did see it for $1.99 lb. but that was for whole fish, head and all.
BTW, turbot is one of my top 3 favorite fish, but it’s not monkfish. They’re not similar at all. Turbot’s like a big flounder, but better.
Thanks for your comment and I hope you find more great bargains!
Hi ellaella. Thank God it’s Friday! Just to update, recently, I had the pleasure of dining on Monkfish and Turbot during the same meal for my edification. Word cannot convey my feelings. Swai is still on the top of my list.
*typo* Words
We encountered Swai a few months back and asked the butcher about it. She said she liked it better than Tilapia even though it was priced cheaper at $3.99/lb. We tried it and agree. It’s tastier and firmer than Tilapia. Fry it up and season it with Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic – delicious.
Hi, Robert. I prefer swai to tilapia too. It’s not just firmer it’s also more filling and cleaner-tasting. I think much of tilapia’s initial appeal might have been the low price, and those days are gone.
Thanks for your comment!
Its a great fish!! I love it. Huge! Does not brake when I fry it.
In Miami still going around $2.99 a pound. I bought all of it, all 10pds.
Not a good cook, but I will try to make the way you guys suggested here.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!! Its not fishy!!!!!! I love it.
Valeu!
Hi, Rodolfo! You’re right, it’s not fishy and for so many people that’s at the top of their list. I think you’ll enjoy making it some of the ways people shared here — and by the time you get through all 10 pounds you’ll be a great swai cook! Come back and share.
Bon appetit!
The reason Swai is cheap is because it is imported from Vietnam or China. I suggest researching the FDA site on this and other fish products like catfish. Not all catfish is imported but some is imported from China. Some of these cheap imports have been found to contain high levels of toxins. Bon apetit.
Yes, I mentioned the origins in the post and Vietnam specifically in a comment several above yours. I’ve also seen some from California that wasn’t much more expensive than the imports. I saw another new fish a few weeks ago, with a sign in the store calling it the next big thing. Can’t recall the name, but it was $11.99 per pound — frozen! — so it did not come home with me! Thanks for your comment.