my nerd has been asking me to cook fish for him since we decided to co-habitate. not being much of a seafood lover i have stalled as long as humanly possible. last week i packed up the baby and headed to the market. i marched up to the seafood counter and, after realizing i had absolutely no idea what i was supposed to get, and not wanting to look like i had no idea what i was doing (which i didn't), i told the clerk, "i'll just take two of those," and pointed haphazardly toward the large variety of fish. "Oh, the salmon?" he asked. "oh, uhm... no, this one next to the salmon." crisis narrowly averted. as much as my nerd loves fish, he doesn't care for salmon, and honestly i don't want our home smelling like a salmon farm. i didn't know i had purchased swai until i got home and unpacked the groceries.
i wasn't quite sure what to do with the fillets, so i set out to do some research. swai comes from southeast asia (so does my nerd!), and is from the shark catfish family. say what??? no, it's not shark. it is, apparently, a species of catfish. swai is largely cultivated for food in the mekong basin and the chao phraya river. it is not as flaky as american catfish, and has a sweeter, less fishy, flavor.
i ended up crusting it with panko and dill, and frying it in butter. the fish was super light, and the dill added a great flavor. i served it with sweet potato mash and fresh green beans that i sauteed in a garlic & herb olive oil.
panko and dill crusted swai fillet
2 swai fillets
1 egg
1 tbs milk
2 tbs butter
2/3 c panko
1 tbs dill
salt and lemon juice to taste
in a small bowl beat egg with milk.
in a medium bowl mix panko and dill.
in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. dip the swai fillets in egg bath, then dredge through the panko & dill. fry in skillet, 3 minutes on each side.
add salt and lemon juice, to taste, at the table.
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