Agency in texture and gentle in taste, swai is a freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia.
The fish is primarily farmed (moderately than wild-caught) in Vietnam, although it is also produced in Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Cambodia, in keeping with Athena Davis, the North America advertising and marketing supervisor for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
“It is fairly fashionable within the U.S. in addition to another markets around the globe for being a extra reasonably priced choice for seafood,” says Maggie Moon, M.S., R.D., a Los Angeles–based mostly registered dietitian and the writer of The MIND Weight loss plan. “Folks may be looking for it out as a result of it is a lean protein and fish [in general] is nice for the guts and the mind.”
It’s possible you’ll not at all times see the fish labeled as “swai” in grocery shops or eating places, although. The fish, which is scientifically referred to as Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, is often known as pangasius, basa, striped catfish, striped pangasius, and tra, says Corbett Nash, the outreach supervisor for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.
Though it is a kind of catfish, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration does not allow it to be labeled as such on this nation; as a substitute, it is known as sutchi catfish, he provides.
