There’s a new fish on the block that’s really starting to catch on (yes, “catch” is my lame effort at a pun). It’s “Swai”. Now that doesn’t sound as exotic as some other fish like salmon or halibut or tuna like you see the big time TV chefs cooking. I can live with that because swai fish is not only versatile and tasty it’s also affordable compared to the budget busting per pound price of many other fish.
I first came across swai in an ad flyer from my grocer which had it on special. So I did just a bit of research (if you count typing the 4-letter name into Google as research). According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, “Swai is a white-flesh fish (typically available in fillet form) with a sweet mild, taste and light flaky texture that can be broiled, grilled, or coated with bread crumbs and fried…”
That was good enough for me because I can buy this tasty fish for about a dollar a pound more than hamburger—which in the fish world is pretty inexpensive.
Most of the time I’ve purchased swai from my grocer’s fish case—but I to quit doing that because the little tag in the case says “previously frozen”. Swai is a “farmed fish” and is frozen before being shipped to the U.S. and then thawed for sale. That’s OK if you’re going to cook it right away, but I often don’t and end up freezing and thawing it again.
I found a better option though. You can buy it flash-frozen with the individual filets vacuum packed—and it was actually cheaper than the thawed filets that were in the display case. It came out to $3.60 a pound for a 2.5 lb bag with 5 individually packaged filets.
So how to cook it? I’ve sautéed it for a fried fish dinner and made it into Baja-style fish tacos. Both were fantastic. But one of my favorite all-time ways of cooking fish is “Vera Cruz Style”. I love the marriage of tomato and citrus and olives with the fish. It’s an absolute celebration of flavor and really dresses up a fish dinner to something that’s a special occasion.
But “snapper”, the traditional fish used for this dish is quite expensive. Swai is a totally worthy substitute. Here’s my recipe for this incredible dish:
(See print version at end of post)
Swai Vera Cruz
Summary: Swai Vera Cruz is a celebration of flavors in this traditional fish recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 Swai filets
- Juice of 2 limes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cumin
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1-2 tbsp chopped garlic (3-4 cloves) to taste
- 2-3 chopped tomatoes or 1 can of Romas
- ½ cup sliced green olives
- 1 diced fresh jalapeno (seeded)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh oregano or cilantro
- ½ cup white wine or chicken broth
- Cooking oil (olive or canola)
- Cooked White Rice
Instructions
- Get out a medium sauté/frying pan, cutting board, chef’s knife and couple of small bowls.
- Do all your prep work first.
- Chop the herbs, onion and garlic (I use jarred, minced garlic—it’s just a bit more convenient), chop the jalapeno, slice the olives and the tomatoes.
- Put the herbs in a small bowl the onion, garlic and jalapeno in another and the olives and tomatoes in a third.
- Clean the cutting board and then lay the fillets on it. Cut each filet in half then salt and pepper it. (I cut the filet because it’s easier to handle).
- Turn the stove burner to medium high and put 2-3 tbsp cooking oil in it. Let it heat and then lay 2-3 filet halves in it. Saute the filets about 2-3 minutes per side and remove to a paper towel covered plate. Then continue cooking the rest.
- When fish is cooked, cover the plate and bring the sauté pan back to medium high heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of oil.
- When hot, add the onions, garlic and jalapeno and let it soften for a couple of minutes. Then add the wine or chicken broth and let it start to bubble.
- When it does, turn the heat down to medium and add the tomatoes and olives. Let this heat for a couple of minutes. Taste it and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Add the filets back to the pan. Take a spoon and distribute some of the sauce on top of the filets. Add 2/3 of the chopped herbs and let the pan simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and plate.
- When plating, put down a bed of rice, put 2 filet halves on the rice, spoon some of the sauce on top of the filets and sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved chopped herbs.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Mexican
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
(Print version at end of post)
And now for the eating! This is an incredible marriage of flavors. It’s the flavors of the sea and of Mexico and of Spain all rolled together into one.
Cheap Bastid’s version of fish Vera Cruz leaves out a couple of ingredients found in many recipes for this dish. One is wine. Some recipes have it and some, like this one, use chicken or other broth. This is a matter of preference. The dish has plenty of “acid” from the lime juice. If you want to use wine, go ahead. The other is capers. Many recipes call for capers for its brininess. The olives provide plenty of that and, quite frankly, capers add an expense for a specialty item that Cheap Bastid just didn’t want to do. Again, if you wish to add capers, please do.
The Cheap Bastid Test: To serve 4 you would cook 4 filets at a cost of $7.20. The other ingredients (tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, olives, limes, broth and rice) add about $2.50. So the total is $9.70 divided by 4 or $2.45 per person for a meal that would cost close to $20 each in a restaurant. That’s a terrific bargain. Swai is a terrific fish product which is affordable, versatile and delicious. Give it a try.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
- 4 Swai filets
- Juice of 2 limes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cumin
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1-2 tbsp chopped garlic (3-4 cloves) to taste
- 2-3 chopped tomatoes or 1 can of Romas
- ½ cup sliced green olives
- 1 diced fresh jalapeno (seeded)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh oregano or cilantro
- ½ cup white wine or chicken broth
- Cooking oil (olive or canola)
- Cooked White Rice
- Get out a medium sauté/frying pan, cutting board, chef’s knife and couple of small bowls.
- Do all your prep work first.
- Chop the herbs, onion and garlic (I use jarred, minced garlic—it’s just a bit more convenient), chop the jalapeno, slice the olives and the tomatoes.
- Put the herbs in a small bowl the onion, garlic and jalapeno in another and the olives and tomatoes in a third.
- Clean the cutting board and then lay the fillets on it. Cut each filet in half then salt and pepper it. (I cut the filet because it’s easier to handle).
- Turn the stove burner to medium high and put 2-3 tbsp cooking oil in it. Let it heat and then lay 2-3 filet halves in it. Saute the filets about 2-3 minutes per side and remove to a paper towel covered plate. Then continue cooking the rest.
- When fish is cooked, cover the plate and bring the sauté pan back to medium high heat. Add 2-3 tbsp of oil.
- When hot, add the onions, garlic and jalapeno and let it soften for a couple of minutes. Then add the wine or chicken broth and let it start to bubble.
- When it does, turn the heat down to medium and add the tomatoes and olives. Let this heat for a couple of minutes. Taste it and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Add the filets back to the pan. Take a spoon and distribute some of the sauce on top of the filets. Add 2/3 of the chopped herbs and let the pan simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and plate.
- When plating, put down a bed of rice, put 2 filet halves on the rice, spoon some of the sauce on top of the filets and sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved chopped herbs.
Hello Walter. I’m a 31 year old wife with 2 girls. Cooking is my thing I do. I bought swai from Costco and so far I’ve been pleased. I like that I can use something from my garden, or substitute it with something from my pantry. So, I made the Swai Vera Cruz tonight with produce fresh from my garden. As I was handing the full platter to my husband, it broke in my hand and splattered all over my kitchen. I cried. Then I put myself together and fast defrosted some more swai, grabbed some canned tomatoes and peppers, then threw the meal together again in 15 minutes. Thank you! Oh, and I love the green olive substitution for capers.
I just made this recipe for the second time. The first time was great! This fish is great our family loves it and as you say it is still in the can afford range.
The second time I made it I added more vegetables to the recipe which included zucchini, yellow squash, roasted red peppers and fresh spinach. It was great too.
Thanks for the heads up on this fish and for the recipe…Good job!!!!
Terra, thank you for your comment to my Swai Vera Cruz recipe. I’m delighted that you have enjoyed it and that you have “tweeked” it. That’s what I enjoy about cooking–recipes are really “guidelines” rather than absolute rules. And, you’ve just given me a bit of inspiration for the next time I cook this dish–to add more vegetables and enjoy the recipe even more. Thanks again.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I’ll be doing a new post featuring Swai within the next few days–Fishcakes with Swai! I hope you give it a try. They’re tasty.