Pangasius (Basa) Fillet - How to Cook it best
Filed under Baked Pangasius, Browse Recipes, Fried Pangasius
To get the maximum out of your Pangasius meal, we collected some preparation and cooking tips for you.
The fillet of the Basa fish is boneless, very tasty by nature, yet mild. Though American catfish farmers blamed it as being inferior, some polls indicate that it is clearly preferred by American consumers over domestic catfish species. The cheaper price might contribute to this preference. In Europe and the UK, Basa fillets (commonly called Pangasius) belong to the most popular fish dishes.
Basa fillets are very easy to cook and to prepare. However, whatever recipe you try, stick to some basic rules to get the maximum flavor out of your meal:
1. Basa fillets are mild, yet tasty on their own. Hence, refrain from strong seasoning that would dominate or even destroy the own taste of the filet. Be careful with garlic or onion. The less, means the more when it comes to Basa fillet.
2. Basa fillet is firm and perfect for rolls. Most fish fillets break easy or flake out while frying or cooking. The fillet of the Basa fish keeps it shape much better. However, thaw it carefully in the fridge. Do not use heat to refreeze and dry the thawed fillets carefully with kitchen paper.
3. As Basa fillet is mild in taste, do not waste it on soups or other dishes which have a need for a strong and dominant flavor.
4. When frying, the fillets will be ready until turning golden.
5. For baking, about 25-30 minutes should be enough. Preheat the oven to some 380 – 400 °F before baking the fillets.
6. For maximum flavor, let the meal cool down for some 5 minutes, then serve.
You can combine Basa with several other dishes, garnish and side dishes. However, potatoes, rice (especially basmati rice) or pasta fit best. Basa fish, such as most fish, is best served with a glass of dry white wine.
Pangasius (Basa) Fillet, seasoned with fish seasoning
Can pangasius be deep fried like blue or yellow catfish rolled in cornmeal? Thank you.
Yeah, that should work pretty well. Basically, you can treat Pangasius/Basa fish just as any other catfish. Yet it has some advantages: The meat is very firm and virtually boneless. The fillets might be a little bit bigger, though. But you can easily cut them to a fitting size. Maybe we should add a recipe on this or you might want to contribute your experience?
I am about to introduce Pangasius in our country. I am from the Philippines and I got spawners from Indonesia as a token from their consul’s family. I want to learn more recipes of this fish so the Filipinos will be trained to include this menus on their tables. To teach them the cooking is also to market them our product
For frying if you treat it as cod and haddock you can’t go wrong
I’m from Arkansas but now live in Houston. In Arkansas I’m used to farm raised catfish which I loved. I bought Basa because it was the cheapest fish in the store that day. I had never eaten nor heard of this fish. I came across this page and decided to “go for what I know” and batter and fry it. I used Tony Chachere’s fish fry and oh my goodness! This fish is amazing! Little to no fishy smell (on the fingers) or taste. A sort of sweetness to the meat and oh so nice and firm. Wow! I’m in love with this fish. Southern folks? Don’t be afraid to batter and pan/deep fry this fish. In fact, I recommend it. So delish.
Hi – I am from the Midlands in the UK and came across Basa Fillets in the reduced fish section. I have just defrosted them and we’re trying them for the first time tonight. Reading your comments, I am looking forward to it!
Hey Nikki,
please tell me about your experience
I hope it will be a good one!
My husband and I have been buying Basa for at least a year now…at that
time it was little known and less expensive. The price has gone way up but
the packages are a generous size, so it’s still a bargain. I usually put a
little salt, pepper, lemon and paprika on it, let it sit for about 20 minutes and use olive oil to cook it, usually only 2 or three minutes on each side.
Love it!
I have been cooking Basa for years now. My favorite way to prepare it is broiled with lemon dill butter.
We panko crust our Basa and serve it with wild grains and veg. It is wildly popular and the price point is remarkable for the flavor. It has been a great revenue producer in my restaurant.
Hi i am from Malta and today have cooked the pangasius for the first time. i defrosted it, put it in an oven dish with olives, capers, sliced tomatoes,a bit of garlic,a little chopped fried onion, fresh basil,a little bit of aromatic white wine and a squeeze of lemon plus a dash of olive oil, covered the dish with foil and baked it for half an hour mmmmmmm it came quite good
How does this fish work for commercial deep frying? We are thinking about trying it for a fish fry. We use commercial deep fryers with soybean oil, usually frying domestic catfish. We generally fry the catfish for app. 11 minutes, and we wonder if this product would work the same way.
I think it will work very similar, though I haven’t tested it myself. But generally speaking you can prepare it the very same way as other catfish or white fish like, say, cod – its more tasty though. The optimal frying time will vary with the very size of the fillets.
why don’t just run a test and let me now? I’d love to add this info to the site!
i have been eating basa for years recently i went to a fish and chip shop and they were advertising big roughy. they told me it was actually basa i tried it and it was better than the halibut. now when we make fish and chips we only use basa. toronto fish lover