Basa Fish, Rice, and Pak Choi

Deskinned Basa Fish fillet, cooked in a preheated oven at 190 deg C on the middle shelf for twelve minutes (not turned), dressed in sunflower oil, and a little black pepper.

Served with diced and steamed Pak Choi leaves, and turmericed basmati rice.
 

Smoked Basa Fish, Poached in Milk

A beautiful Smoked Basa fish fillet from Morrisons, poached in milk, and served with potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

The potatoes were boiled in salted water for twenty minutes, and the sprouts for seven.

The fish was added to a skillet already heated, and with a knob of butter sliding around. Then about 100mls of milk was added. The fish should be cooked at a slow simmer under glass, for between 12 and 15 minutes (the fish changes colour when it is nearly ready). It does not need to be turned.

Decant the vegetables to the serving plate, add the fish (carefully!), and drizzle some of the poaching milk over it.

This fish poaches very well, though it is not usually included in lists of fish which do. Delicious flavour, and delicate texture. One of the most popular dishes on this site, as of March 2021.

Pan-fried Basa Fish (River Cobbler)

Smoked Basa Fish from Sainsbury's, pan-fried in some salted butter. With boiled Maris Piper potatoes, and broccoli.

I melted a small knob of butter in a non-stick and lidded skillet. I turned down the heat before adding the fillet. Cooked slowly, altogether for ten minutes under glass, and turned once with a fish slice.

Dressed with a little black pepper. Good with some tartare sauce also. Quick, easy, and delicious!

Basa Fish Wrap

Fried basa fish (catfish from fish farms in the Mekong delta), wrapped in a flatbread tortilla, along with a smearing of American style mustard.

The fish was cooked in a frying pan at a high initial heat in some sunflower oil, but the heat was reduced, and the pan was covered with a glass lid. Cooked altogether for 15 minutes. Turned twice during the cooking process.

The bread wrap was seasoned with some dried coriander before the fish was decanted to the wrap.

Cut at 20 degrees into two.

Basa fish fillets are usually free of bones, which was the case here. A delicious fish, and a delicious wrap!

Basa Fish with Carrots, Mayonnaise, and Coriander

Breaded Basa fish from Sainsbury's yesterday, at a good price. Cooked in a little sunflower oil in a roasting tray in the oven for 18 minutes at 220 deg C (preheated). Watch carefully in the last few minutes.

Served with batonned carrots cooked for twenty minutes in boiling water, with diced fresh coriander and some salt. Also served with two dessert spoonfuls of mayonnaise mixed with diced coriander, and some white pepper.

 Garnished with some sprigs of fresh coriander.

Simple and delicious!

Breaded Basa Fish (Catfish) with Oven-roasted Potato Chips

Another bargain from Morrison's: two Basa fish fillets, lightly breaded with herbs. Cooked for eighteen minutes in the middle of a preheated oven at 190 deg C.

Served with chipped potatoes which had been marinaded for three or four hours in a mixture of vinegar, sunflower oil, tomato puree, chilli sauce, white pepper, salt, plus some thyme and coriander.

 The chips were then roasted in the oven for about 25 minutes at 190 deg. C (watch them carefully, and remove from the oven when they look as though they are ready).

Served with two teaspoonfuls of tartare sauce, and some white pepper. A delicious dish!

Basa Fish with Pan-Fried Mushrooms

Baked Basa Fish with pan-fried mushrooms, served with freshly ground black pepper.

Basa fish (river cobbler, catfish) from Morrisons. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. The fish fillets were placed in a greased non-stick roasting pan, and cooked for twelve minutes. Basa fish often is filleted to contain no bones, as was the case with these fillets. A delicate flavour - the kitchen does not smell of fish for a couple of days. Often sourced from fish farms in the Mekong Delta.

The mushrooms were pan-fried with sunflower oil at a medium heat for about seven minutes, but could have been cooked with a knob of butter instead (expensive these days in the UK!). Serve with black pepper.

Can be served with roast potatoes, or oven-roasted chips in a spicy salsa.

Basa Fish with Green Beans

Basa fish, from Morrison's,  farmed in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, with Kenyan green beans, plus some boiled potato, grown (probably) somewhere close to my house. An excellent Sunday lunch.

I've cooked Basa fish before, and it is otherwise known as 'river cobbler' or catfish. The fish is delicious, and it can be cut (as here) so that generally the fillet is bone free.

The potatoes were cooked earlier in the day. I used a flat bottomed pan to cook the fish in a little sunflower oil. The pan was on a high heat when I put in the fish, then I turned the heat down to the lowest level. The fillet was turned at seven minutes (under glass), and cooked for another seven minutes, with the lid at an angle to allow steam to escape.

The potatoes were added to the pan just before the fish: their sizzling told me the pan was at the right heat.

The green beans were simmered in a separate pan for fifteen minutes at a low heat under glass.

Dust the plate with some white pepper before serving.

Basa Fish with Minted Peas

Basa fish is a form of catfish found in parts of Indochina, including in the Mekong river. This pair of Basa Fillets came from a fish farm in the Mekong Delta. The fillets were bought at Sainsbury's, and came coated with a batter made with wheat flour. 

Basa fillets are often boneless, which these were. The oven was preheated to 220 deg. C., and the fillets were placed into a roasting tray after the tray was brushed with sunflower oil, and placed in the middle of the oven for 18 minutes, as recommended. Minted peas were suggested as an accompaniment, but I had none of those. But I did have dried mint, and some garden peas, so I minted my own. I allowed the peas to heat slowly in water with the mint over twenty minutes, and the result was perfect.

Served piping hot with a little white pepper.  

Basa Fish with Minted Peas