What is swai basa

Seafood Expo Global. Seafood Expo Asia. Become a member Login. Subscribe to SeafoodSource News You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Published on January 23, When trade with Vietnam resumed in , U. Real basa, P. Cambodian and Vietnamese fish farmers have raised basa in cages along the Mekong River for decades. But P. Inferior to basa, but faster and cheaper to raise, swai has been marketed as China sole, river cobbler and even basa, adding to the confusion of unwary buyers.

Also labeled catfish, it was eagerly accepted as a cheap alternative to the farmed U. But such labeling is no longer allowed, following a Food and Drug Administration ruling that only species from the family Ictaluridae can be sold as true catfish. Scientific Name: Pangasius bocourti; P. Bottom left is the belly, which is mostly fat and not particularly appetizing.

Lining the inside of the belly are additional large deposits of fat, some of which is shown to the lower right.

In Vietnam, local uses are found for these offcuts. For many uses you will want to remove the skin, because it has a stronger taste and shrinks significantly when heated, enough to curl the fillets.

Skinning these fillets is very easy by the long knife and cutting board method - the skin is strong and cooperative. For some uses, particularly catfish soups, the skin is left on. I usually cut up skin-on fillets for these soups.

To the left is shown the skin side of a skin-off fillet, displaying the considerable amount of "red meat". This has a stronger, more oily taste, and is removed for the fillet to be in the form usually exported. I don't know how they do that, but they do a very nice job of it. For most catfish uses I prefer the red meat left on so the fillet has more of a catfish taste.

These days I usually buy a frozen fish that has been cleaned and beheaded, but is otherwise whole with skin on. Seeing competition from Vietnam, American catfish farmers organized an expedition to that country to gather dirt for a propaganda campaign. They found no dirt. As one catfish man said, "We went expecting to find catfish raised in polluted waters and processed in primitive facilities. That's not what we found, and we're scared to death". With the actual truth solidly against them by their own admission, American catfish farmers have proven less ethical than even the Congress critters they seek to "influence".

They have succeeded in getting legislation passed interfering with imports of Vietnamese fish, though that success has turned into a sort of comedy of errors. They have also spread lying articles all over the Internet, some so absurd only Tea Party members could believe them. Their advertising campaigns have been denounced as deception and half truths even by the U. Some Internet articles have even played the "mercury in fish" card. Mercury is a problem only with large predatory fish living in the oceans - and not much of a problem even there.

Vietnamese catfish is a freshwater fish and not a predator, so mercury is not a concern. At the behest of the catfish farmers, Congress passed a law that only "Channel Catfish" could be called "Catfish" in the United States, preventing some other species of catfish from being called catfish.

This has led to a wide variety of names for swai, and some confusion as to what exactly swai is. What's more, U. But most of what is sold in the market today as basa fish is actually not true basa. Instead, it is often swai fish, which is considered to be inferior to basa.

Swai, which is also known as tra, tends to be course and grainier than basa. It is also more beige and thinner in appearance. The restaurant industry has been known to use swai in a fraudulent manner , marking them as true catfish or grouper.

Swai is also often sold generically as "fish" on menus featuring fish tacos and fish sandwiches. Restaurants are likely to do so based on the cheapness of swai compared to higher quality fish types. Farmed fish is not automatically designated as an unhealthy fish.

However, factory-farmed fish in Vietnam are often filled with sludge and wastewater. This may include bacteria and antibiotic residues. There are likewise many reports of swai fish being contaminated with trace minerals and heavy metals caused by the conditions in which they were raised.

The questionable quality and lack of inspection of the conditions of swai fish increase the risk of a number of diseases. Some of the most common diseases include parasitic, bacterial, and Sporozoa infestations and infections. Fish truly should and can be a part of a balanced diet. Besides, they are well-known for offering heart-healthy properties such as omega-3 fatty acids.

However, there are healthier alternatives to the swai fish that undergo tighter regulations and inspections. These include wild-caught salmon, sardines, and tilapia. Also, always try and validate a source when selecting a fish.