Pan Fried Fish Fillet

A while back I was at the market and saw Swai fish fillets on sale. I don't think I ever remembered seeing Swai fish before but decided to buy them anyway to try. Once I got home, I "googled" Swai and found out that it's a river catfish farmed exclusively in Southeast Asia. The ones I bought stated it's farm-raised in Vietnam. They look similar to catfish or tilapia.

I was kind of bored with just seasoning with salt and pepper when pan frying fish so I experimented on something new. It turned out to be the easiest seasoning ever and works really well with white fish. You still get the natural sweetness from the fish with added burst of flavor! This is probably how I'll cook white fish for the rest of my life! :)

And what's great is that this seasoning makes the fish quite versatile. I've eaten it "American" style with potatoes and vegetables, "Italian" style with pasta, and "Indonesian" style with Spicy Braised Kale....the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

White Fish Fillets (like Swai, Cod, Tilapia, Halibut, etc.)
Garlic Salt
Mrs. Dash (Original Blend)
Oil

Cooking instruction:

1. Make sure fish is fully thawed and pat dry.

2. Lightly sprinkle with garlic salt. Then sprinkle Mrs. Dash more generously. Turn and season the other side.

3. Heat skillet on high. Drizzle about 2 T. oil.

4. Place 1-2 fillet at a time and cook for about 2.5 minutes on each side.

Pan Fried Sole Fish with Corn and Bell Peppers in Coconut Reduction Sauce

I wasn't quite sure how this dish was going to turn out. I've been craving fish so I bought some sole fillets and wanted to do some kind of sauce for it. Years ago, I learned how to make grilled corn by marinating it in a mixture of coconut milk, sambal oelek, salt, and sugar. It's sweet, savory, and spicy! Since I had leftover corn on a cob I figured using the same basic ingredients as the grilled corn would turn this into a delicious sauce. I added some diced red bell peppers to add a nice contrasting color to the dish. I also decided to use steamed spinach for the veggies. I'm pleased to say that it came out DELICIOUS!!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
(4) 3 or 4 oz. sole fillets
3/4 C. panko bread crumbs
1 T. corn starch
1 T. flour
2 t. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for pan frying
2 C. corn kernels
1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
2 T. butter
(1) 12 oz. can of coconut milk
1 T. sambal oelek
1 T. sugar
Salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach (steamed)
cilantro for garnish (optional)

Cooking instruction:

1. In a flat and wide container, combine panko, flour, corn starch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Dredge both sides of the fillets generously with the dry mixture.

2. Heat 2 T. oil in a large frying pan on medium high. Once oil is hot, pan fry each fillet for about 3 minutes on each side. Sole fish can easily break so be extra gentle when turning them over.

3. In the same pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add shallots and cook until it turns opaque and slightly brown. Add corn and bell peppers.

4. Stir in coconut milk and sambal oelek. Add salt to taste. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and coconut milk is reduced by half.

5. Place a fish fillet on top of a bed of steamed spinach and spoon the corn mixture and sauce on top. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed rice.