Swai Fillets with Cornbread Stuffing and Shrimp Sauce

Tonight we have for you another great way to serve swai fish fillets.  Swai is a type of catfish that has a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a flaky texture, and is a very versatile fish to cook.  We have used swai in many dishes such as Swai and Shrimp Creole Chowder or Blackened Swai Chowder, and the results are always delicious.  If you haven't had a chance to try this delicious, inexpensive fish, this is a great recipe to try.

 

The inspiration for this dish came from basic cornmeal coated catfish.  Cornmeal creates a flavorful breading on the exterior of fish, so I wondered how it would taste on the inside, in the form of stuffing.  My idea sounded possible and tasty, and I knew I was onto something, so I started by baking a batch of cornbread muffins.

Something I always have in my cupboard are a few boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix.  My kids have always loved corn muffins for dinner, and they are super quick to prepare.  Even better, you can add fresh corn or green chilies to them and they make a great addition to a meal.

Once the muffins were cooked, (I ended up with 7 muffins total), I crumbled 4 muffins into crumbs, added some diced greens chilies, melted butter and chopped parsley to make the stuffing.  The stuffing was rolled up into the fillets and baked.  But the bundles needed a sauce.  Something silky and rich and full of flavor. Hmm.

While the fish was baking I made a quick white sauce, added a cup of chopped shrimp and a spoon of lobster base and the results were amazing.  The sauce had this luxurious texture, with just enough shrimp and lobster flavor to make the sauce pop.  When the sauce combined with the fish and cornbread, plus just a hint of green chilies, it created the perfect balance of flavors and a really remarkable dish.

This would be a great meal to serve guests, as it looks very elegant without too much work.  If you cannot find swai fillets you could substitute any flaky fish such as halibut or red snapper.  Enjoy!!

6  Swai Fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 TB  Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a 8 X 8 baking dish and set aside.

Cornbread Stuffing
3 cups  Cornbread Crumbs (from about 4 muffins)
2  oz  Chopped Green Chilies
1/2 cup  Butter, melted
1/4 tsp  Salt
1/8 tsp  Ground Black Pepper
2 TB  Chopped Fresh Parsley

In a medium bowl, combine all 6 ingredients and stir with a fork until the stuffing is evenly moist,  then divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions.  Place a portion of stuffing in the center of each swai fillet, roll the fillet to enclose the stuffing and place each bundle in the baking dish, seam side down.  Spoon a little of the melted butter in the bottom of the dish over each fish bundle.

Bake the fish for 20 - 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Prepare the white sauce while the fish is baking.

White Sauce with Shrimp
3 TB  Butter
3 TB  Flour
1/4 tsp  Salt
1 cup  Half and Half  or  Milk
1/2 cup  Cooked Fresh Shrimp, chopped
1-1/2 TB  White Wine
1 tsp  Lobster Base

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the flour and salt and stir to combine into a roux.  Slowly add the half and half (or milk) to the roux, adding a few tablespoons at a time and stirring to combine each time.

Heat the sauce over medium heat until warm, then add the cooked shrimp, white wine and the lobster base.  Continue to heat over medium heat and stir until the sauce has thickened.

Remove the fish from the baking dish to a platter and pour the white sauce over the fish. Serve with the extra corn muffins on the side.  Serves 6.