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Started By
Message
Restaurants that serve Swai instead of Catfish
Posted on 4/8/15 at 11:21 pm
Posted on 4/8/15 at 11:21 pm
Went to Shreveport for Easter to see my 80 year old parents. On the way, I was going to stop at David Beard's Catfish Village in Waskom and take a meal to my folks.
My wife got online and read some bad reviews, including that they serve Swai instead of Catfish. So I called them because (A) I need to make sure they fry the fish separated from the oil used to fry shellfish (allergies by my Mom) and (B) are the fish Swai or Catfish. I don't kn0wingly eat Swai.
They confirmed that the filets are Swai but the whole fish are catfish. So we called around to a half dozen other shops. Some were Swai, some were catfish, but they combined the oil with shellfish oil.
Finally found Jan's River Restaurant in west Shreveport had American farm-raised catfish and kept the oils separated. It was really a good meal and the folks were happy, but I never knew how hard it was to find places that separate the oil and also don't serve Swai.
My wife got online and read some bad reviews, including that they serve Swai instead of Catfish. So I called them because (A) I need to make sure they fry the fish separated from the oil used to fry shellfish (allergies by my Mom) and (B) are the fish Swai or Catfish. I don't kn0wingly eat Swai.
They confirmed that the filets are Swai but the whole fish are catfish. So we called around to a half dozen other shops. Some were Swai, some were catfish, but they combined the oil with shellfish oil.
Finally found Jan's River Restaurant in west Shreveport had American farm-raised catfish and kept the oils separated. It was really a good meal and the folks were happy, but I never knew how hard it was to find places that separate the oil and also don't serve Swai.
12
Posted on 4/9/15 at 8:38 am to HubbaBubba
Swai, is disgusting. They try and serve this shite offshore every now and then. I tried it once before I googled it. Its basically a river fish from third world asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
I'll pay a little more for something that doesn't come from the shite waters of Asia
I'll pay a little more for something that doesn't come from the shite waters of Asia
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:01 am to lsuguru
Isn't Basa becoming a popular replacement too?
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:06 am to Croacka
I'd rather have wild caught local catfish to the pond-raised stuff any day.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:06 am to HubbaBubba
How can you tell the difference?
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:08 am to LSUsmartass
quote:
How can you tell the difference?
I'd be willing to bet that most people couldn't.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:09 am to Mo Jeaux
I read that people preferred Basa over farm raised catfish 3:1 in a blind taste test
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:12 am to HubbaBubba
If you're buying a frozen product, Basa is better than catfish. I prefer the fresh shite from Tony's though if I have to fry catfish.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:13 am to Croacka
quote:We had a place that listed Basa and American cat on the menu. The cat was a little more expensive. I never ordered the Basa, so I can't comment, but it has since closed.
Isn't Basa becoming a popular replacement too?
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:17 am to Croacka
basa = swai and they sell it here at HEB as pangasius
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:19 am to hungryone
quote:
I'd rather have wild caught local catfish to the pond-raised stuff any day
Considering the shite we put in our water bodies, you can keep your wild catfish. I'll stick to US farm raised catfish.
Follow up to OP, is it illegal to say catfish on the menu and serve swai? If not, seems like it should be.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:19 am to surprisewitness
I just read about both
Technically they are different species but pretty similar I suppose
Technically they are different species but pretty similar I suppose
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:20 am to AlxTgr
I'd be willing to bet that most of these restaurants serve whatever is cheapest, Basa, farm raised shrimp, chinese crawfish. We should ask Robbie G's.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:23 am to Croacka
Pond raised tastes kinda corny/muddy/dog-foody to me, especially when broiled/baked/cooked 'dry' (as opposed to fried or sauce piquante). Wild tastes, well, wild: a more multidimensional flavor. Kinda like domestic duck vs wild duck.
Yes, our dirty waters drain an entire continent. They're no cleaner than the Mekong or Chao Phraya, so wild LA catfish is probably no more or less yukky than swai/basa. Still, would rather support my local LA fisherman than a MS pond catfish farm.
Yes, our dirty waters drain an entire continent. They're no cleaner than the Mekong or Chao Phraya, so wild LA catfish is probably no more or less yukky than swai/basa. Still, would rather support my local LA fisherman than a MS pond catfish farm.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:26 am to hungryone
quote:
I'd rather have wild caught local catfish to the pond-raised stuff any day.
I like the American farm raised much better. When we switched to wild caught in the restaurant, I got more complaints than ever about the "black/grey stuff" on the fish. Maybe it was just shitty wild caught, but it was definitely from Louisiana
We ended up switching back to farm raised after a lot of the catfish dinners were being sent back for the color, texture, and dirtier taste.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:28 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
Follow up to OP, is it illegal to say catfish on the menu and serve swai? If not, seems like it should be.
It is illegal but not sure how enforced it is.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:29 am to hungryone
It's your body, so I won't tell you you're wrong for what you want to put in it, but I know I don't trust wild catfish. I used to do a lot of work in the water quality field and don't trust most of our rivers and lakes to produce safe fish.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:34 am to BottomlandBrew
I always check the menu to see if it says "fried fish" or "fried catfish".
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:38 am to BottomlandBrew
quote:
It's your body, so I won't tell you you're wrong for what you want to put in it, but I know I don't trust wild catfish. I used to do a lot of work in the water quality field and don't trust most of our rivers and lakes to produce safe fish.
How much safer is pond raised? I know pond raised seafood is given antibiotics and other chemicals to keep them from getting sick and dying.
Posted on 4/9/15 at 9:43 am to HubbaBubba
I was at Restaurant Depot last week and saw a guy loading up on boxes of Swai. I really wanted to follow him and see where he went. So that I knew to never go there.
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