Sweet and Spicy Swai Fish with Citrus Salsa

Swai fish is a very mild, meaty white fish that is farm raised primarily in Asia and is very reasonably priced. Frozen Swai fish is the perfect choice for this easy baked fish recipe for Sweet and Spicy Swai Fish with Citrus Salsa. As swai recipes go, this one is a winner! If you like mild white fish like tilapia or cod, you'll love swai too!

  

As I have mentioned many times in the past, I don't make fish at home enough. I do like tilapia loins, and try to keep them stocked in the freezer so I can make recipes like Cajun Baked Tilapia Loins and Almond Crusted Tilapia. But, I am so happy to find another mild white fish variety that we like and that won't break the budget. When fish is mild like tilapia and swai, it's good to bump up the flavor with a fish recipe full of flavor. This swai fish recipe really delivers on flavor!

This Sweet and Spicy Swai Fillets with Citrus Salsa swai fish recipe elevates the mild white fish to a whole new level of yumminess!  And, most importantly, it's a healthy baked fish recipe the whole family will love.

What is Swai?

Swai is similar to tilapia, but more mild than tilapia. It has the texture and shape of catfish. It's quite delicious.  I don't know if it's available fresh, but I have seen it frozen in many markets.  I bought the frozen fillets I used in this recipe from Target-Simply Balanced brand. A bag of 24 oz. of fillets cost me around $7.00.  They are individually wrapped, so they are quick and easy to defrost in a pan of cool water. There are 5 to 6 fillets per bag.  They are boneless and skinless. And, for those turned off by the smell of fish...NO FISHY SMELL...none whatsoever!

Swai fish nutrition

According to the package, a 4 oz. serving of Swai fish fillets is 100 calories, 2g total fat, 0g carbs,  21g protein, and 0g fiber.

Can you substitute Swai for another kind of fish in recipes?

The answer is YES! The recipe inspiration for this dish came from Allrecipes and called for salmon. When I priced salmon at the store, I had major sticker shock.  With the never-ending winter from Hell we have had this year and my most recent gas bill, I knew salmon was not in the budget and I would be subbing another kind of fish.  I settled on Swai. Swai was a good substitute for salmon in this fish recipe.

Fish varieties you can use in this recipe:

• Swai
• Salmon
• Tilapia
• Cod
• Halibut
• Flounder
• Mahi Mahi

Sweet and Spicy Swai Fillets with Citrus Salsa is an easy baked fish recipe!

This whole recipe comes together very quickly! You can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. I'm a huge fan of easy and healthy fish recipes like this one!

I'll be honest, while we loved the rub on the fish and I loved the easy preparation and cooking method, we weren't crazy about the grapefruit called for in the salsa.  If you a fan of grapefruit, you may like it. If not, don't even try. Just make a substitute. Use fresh oranges or canned Mandarin oranges instead! You will still get the nice citrus "pop" in the salsa, without the bitterness of the grapefruit.

This is a great, heart healthy recipe for Lent, or anytime of the year when you want to enjoy seafood.

swai fish, baked swai fish recipe, fish recipes swai,

main dish

American

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Sweet and Spicy Swai Fish with Citrus Salsa

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

Sweet and Spicy Swai Fish with Citrus Salsa is an easy baked fish recipe made with the mild white fish, Swai that's perfectly seasoned then topped with a zesty citrus salsa.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. paprika (I used smoked)
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. dried leaf thyme
• 1/4 fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to your liking)
• 1 tsp. firmly packed brown sugar
• 4 - 4 oz. Swai fillets, defrosted if frozen (or tilapia, salmon, etc.)
• 2 tsp. oil (low flavor oil like avocado, vegetable, etc)
• 1 cup orange or grapefruit sections, coarsely chopped OR 1- 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Make the rub: In small bowl, combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
3. Coat the Swai fish fillets with corn oil. Evenly sprinkle all surfaces of the fish with the spice rub. Place in shallow baking pan with sides.
4. Bake for 10 -12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. (adjust bake time if using bigger fillets)
5. While fish is baking, prepare the salsa by combining the grapefruit or mandarin oranges, green onion, red pepper, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a small bowl.
6. Serve salsa on top of or on the side of the Swai.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

85.34

Fat (grams)

2.77 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.24 g

Cholesterol (grams)

12.19 mg

Carbs (grams)

10.21 g

Fiber (grams)

1.87 g

Sugar (grams)

6.82 g

Net carbs

8.35 g

Protein (grams)

6.03 g

Sodium (milligrams)

165.48 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and is an estimate.

https://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2014/03/sweet-and-spicy-swai-fillets-with.html

Copyright © 2014 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

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When it comes to healthy fish recipes, you really can't beat the flavor and ease of preparation with these Sweet and Spicy Swai Fillets with Citrus Salsa. They make a wonderful light meal anytime of the year.

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