re: Restaurants that serve Swai instead of Catfish

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.