This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Swai Fish is a freshwater river catfish that is typically found in Southeast Asia and Vietnam. It’s also known as pangasius, basa, or tra, and it’s a popular and inexpensive white-fleshed fish because it’s mild and delicate in flavor, with the perfect flaky texture when you cook it. For this recipe, I made it Greek style with tomatoes on a vine, and a flavorful rice that you’re going to love for an easy summer dish.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Swai Fish
- Flavorful: Since Swai Fish is mild tasting, it takes on all the flavors of whatever you cook it with. So for this recipe, you get all the flavors of the tomatoes, lemon sauce, and veggies.
- Versatile: Swai Fish is really versatile due to its light flavor, so you can bake it, grill it, use it in tacos, or whatever your heart desires. Make this recipe your own and throw in some of your fav veggies or seasonings.
- Fresh: I love all the fresh summer flavors you get in this recipe, and I think you’re going to as well!
Ingredients
Swai Fish – Swai Fish (Vinh Hoan brand) is an inexpensive, mild-tasting fish that is versatile. You can use it in place of any protein in a recipe because the flavor melds well with the flavors of whatever you’re cooking it with. Swai Fish is also a lean source of protein and a good source of essential micronutrients. I always make sure to buy BAP-certified fish and seafood, as it is a certification program that exists to ensure your seafood is being sourced responsibly. This makes me feel good about the fish I’m consuming and where it came from.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Zucchini – For this dish, I added zucchini in but you can play around with different veggies. Zucchini is a nutrient-dense vegetable, offering a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants while being low in calories.
How to Make Baked Swai Fish
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the lemon sauce by whisking together all of the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Prepare the rice: In a nonstick 9×13 baking dish add olive oil, rice, chopped zucchini,, smashed garlic cloves, salt, ground pepper, chicken stock paste and water. Give everything a good stir to combine and then nestle in the cherry tomatoes on the vine.
- Bake the rice for 30 minutes.
- While the rice is baking, prepare the swai. Pat each swai filet dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tsp mustard onto each filet and then season each generously with kosher salt and ground pepper.
- After the rice has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and fluff the rice mixture a bit with a fork. Nestle the swai filets on top of the rice. Bake for 10-12 more minutes until the fish is cooked through (flakes easily with a fork) and rice is tender and cooked through too.
- To serve, drizzle the swai with the lemon dressing and garnish with fresh mint leaves and fresh dill. Squeeze more fresh lemon juice over top of everything if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Thaw Properly: If your swai fillets are frozen, thaw them completely in the refrigerator overnight. While some recipes suggest baking from frozen, proper thawing usually leads to more even cooking and better texture.
- Season Well: As mentioned, swai fish is mild tasting, so it requires generous seasoning, herbs, spices, etc., to become flavorful. Don’t be shy!
- Cooking Time: Fish cooks quickly, so don’t overcook it! Keep your eye on it when it’s in the oven.
Variations
If you like this Greek-Style Swai Fish Recipe, try one of my other easy baked fish recipes:
Best served with
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers of this recipe in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.
Common Questions
Make sure you’re adding a fat to it, such as olive oil or butter, and not overcooking your fish.
The fish is done when its flesh turns opaque (no longer translucent) and it flakes easily with a fork at its thickest point.
Generally, no. Your fish should be fine and cooked through without having to flip it.
Save this recipe for later
Watch the Video
Ingredients
For the swai
- 4 filets swai, defrosted if frozen
- 4 tsp mustard
- Kosher salt and ground pepper
For the lemon sauce
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- juice of one lemon
- ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 small garlic cloves, pressed
For the pan
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup basmati rice
- 1 small zucchini, chopped (about 1 – 1 ¼ cups)
- 30 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp chicken stock paste
- 2 cups water
- 2 vines of cherry tomatoes
Garnishes
- Lemon, halved or quartered to squeeze over
- Fresh mint and fresh dill
Instructions
Start Cooking- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the lemon sauce by whisking together all of the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Prepare the rice: In a nonstick 9×13 baking dish add olive oil, rice, chopped zucchini,, smashed garlic cloves, salt, ground pepper, chicken stock paste and water. Give everything a good stir to combine and then nestle in the cherry tomatoes on the vine.
- Bake the rice for 30 minutes.
- While the rice is baking, prepare the swai. Pat each swai filet dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tsp mustard onto each filet and then season each generously with kosher salt and ground pepper.
- After the rice has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and fluff the rice mixture a bit with a fork. Nestle the swai filets on top of the rice. Bake for 10-12 more minutes until the fish is cooked through (flakes easily with a fork) and rice is tender and cooked through too.
- To serve, drizzle the swai with the lemon dressing and garnish with fresh mint leaves and fresh dill. Squeeze more fresh lemon juice over top of everything if desired.
Notes
- If you love this recipe, try our Greek Baked Tilapia Recipe (one sheet pan)
- This recipe is also delicious to meal prep for lunch during the week.
- If you can’t find Swai, tilapia is a good substitute.
8 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
I was thrown by the mustard on the fish and the 30 garlic cloves, but after following the recipe and instructions I can confirm it was absolutely delicious. This is something we’re going to make a lot more often.
hehe, I promise I wouldn’t make you do something fabulous!
30 cloves of garlic ???
YES! But you’re the boss my dear, you can adjust as you see fit!
What fish can you substitute for Swai?
Any other white fish would be just fine!
So simple and so delicious!!
Thank you so much, Lee! That makes me so happy!