Basa Fish--YUM!

I have been intrigued the last few weeks at my fish counter by a fish called Basa. It is super cheap! Which intrigues and yet concerns me. A woman actually came up to me at the counter and started telling me how much she loves it (yep, small town livin') I asked her how she typically prepares it and she says "I dip it in mayonnaise and then breadcrumbs. I fry it in just a tiny bit of oil." SIGH...not quite what I was looking for. I love that she is worried about how much oil she is using when she dips the fish in straight up mayo. To each their own. She was a sweet older lady and I wouldn't have likely bought the Basa without her recommendation.

I brought the fish home and then did a little research. It is a member of the catfish family raised in Vietnam. There looks like this fish went through some controversy during 2000-2001.

I figured I would put this fish to the ultimate test. I was not going to panko it and hide the taste, I was going to grill it and see what happens. A big gamble for fish.

Here is what I did

Lemon Basa Fish
4 pieces of Basa (skinned and deboned into filets by the fish counter)
1 lemon and the zest
handful of chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley, chopped
A sprinkle of McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning

Wash the fish and pat dry. Lie out in your grill fish basket (only seasoning one side so not to overpower white fish). I grated the zest of the lemon over the fish filets and sprinkled each one with the seasoning and the chopped herbs. Pat down to stick to fish. Add a slice of lemon to each piece and close the fish basket tight. USE A FISH BASKET. This fish is very light and flakey and would totally fall apart on its own on the grill. I cooked the fish for 4 minutes on each side until it felt firm in the middle.

I am so mad I didn't take pictures of this recipe!! It looked beautiful and delicious and it was! Bailey was the first one to say he loved it. Phil took the leftover piece for lunch today. It was a success. Very mild tasting and it took on the herbs and seasoning very well. The lemon just brightened the flavors.

I served it with my Caprese style salad that I have made in a previous post. This time I used roma tomato and mozzarella chopped to similar sizes. I added ribbons of fresh basil and a slight drizzle of White Balsamic Vinagrette (found with the cold salad dressings at the market).

Such a healthy dinner. Yet the fish had such great taste the meal was filling and perfect for a spring night. I will definitely make this fish again!