Oh, what’s a single girl to do? Normally I tend to subsist on a less-than-healthy diet of refined carbohydrates, butter, and salt. I found myself cooking dinner for one one night, and picked up a Swai fillet from Hannaford for $1.65. What a steal, at $4.99/lb. I had been pining over the basa at The Original Two Cousins in Latham, but didn’t feel like going that way past the Latham circle. Turns out, Swai is pretty damn close to Basa, and is also a fairly sustainable fish.
Also got some green stuff in there. Halved brussels sprouts. This turned out to be a lot of brussels sprouts, but I don’t think eating too many veggies is that bad. Just put a pan on medium with some oil or butter and sear them until they’re blackened and crispy.
Pinky-white fresh fillet of Swai. Hello, baby! I could have easily eaten two of these fillets. But one was sufficent enough to quell my seafood hunger. Swai is a fairly meaty white fish. None of this delicate and fluffy tilapia or whiting business.
Rubbed the fillet with some paprika, salt, tarragon, and maybe just a touch of garlic or onion powder. Seared a bit, and then tossed in a bit of white wine and kalamata olives after flipping the fillet. Maybe a weird combination, but the final product was tasty to me. Although I suspect Albany John’s kitchen chicanery would have produced tastier results.
Yeah, that was a lot of brussels sprouts. They were so tasty. And man, that Swai’s got me wrapped around its little fishy fingers. It keeps a nice flavor of the sea while also cooking up moist. Maybe next time I’ll get two fillets.
Total cost estimate was about $3. Maybe a little less. Not too shabby for a seafood-based meal.
If this was too healthy for you, you could always add more butter to your seafood, or follow dinner with a fine Boone’s Farm beverage of your choice.