I heard you. I apologize. Tuesday we celebrated National Catfish Day.
It was highlighted in our daily newsletter, METRO NEWS, which you can subscribe to at www.texasmetronews.com and I also talked about catfish during my daily podcast, Metro News Hype on Facebook, and Streamyard.
I knew I was skating on thin ice because I have talked about cat-fish before and how restaurants have catfish on the menu but catfish is not what you receive on your plate.
Many are receiving a fish called SWAI. Some pronounce it “sway,” and others pronounce it, like “buy.”
Whatever the case some people are fooled, but not for long, because of the texture of the meat. No matter how good it tastes when Swai is hot, if you have to reheat it, you will know immediately that something is wrong.
One person asked me, “Why would I “promote catfish when I know what’s happening with the fake fish?”
I understood what they were talking about because it has gotten so bad that you have companies with “catfish” in their name and are not serving real catfish and caterers will fry some Swai so quickly your head will spin.
So what is a person to do?
I am so tired of going to places and questioning beforehand and hearing those lame explanations and declarations that they wouldn’t dare buy or serve Swai, only to get my order and be disappointed once again.
So, I’m sending out a plea to anyone in the food service business. If you are selling Swai, please say that; own your truth.
You’re already making a killing because of the cost differential. Swai costs a whole lot less than catfish so you can play dumb but you know what your invoices look at the end of the day!
For the record, I used to like putting Swai on the grill until I re- searched it. Let me tell you about SWAI.
Nearly 90% of the catfish (Swai) imported to the U.S. comes from Vietnam, where the use of antibiotics that are banned in the U.S. is widespread, according to consumer reports.
Furthermore, the two varieties of Vietnamese catfish sold in the U.S., Swai and Basa, aren’t technically considered catfish by the federal government and therefore aren’t held to the same inspection rules that other imported catfish are.
State Rep. Carl O. Sherman has addressed the issue in Austin, saying: “I believe in the transparency of proper labeling in regard to the type of fish a consumer is being served when ordering a meal or buying a product. Swai fish, also known as Pangasius or Basa, is a type of fish that is often used to make fish fillets. It is a less expensive catfish substitution and I believe consumers have a right to know what they are being served.
Swai fish has, over the years, been sold under the false identity of as many as 19 various types of fish. It is usually farmed in crowded, large scale fish farms and imported from Asia.
“I also have concern with the type of farming being done regarding Swai fish since the methods used to farm elicit environmental concerns as well as a disturbing mercury level that questions health safety.”
Thanks for your leadership, Rep Sherman. The silence on issues makes folks think they can continue pushing the envelope and there’s no telling what we will be eating next!
After talking with so many people about catfish, I told many of them to go to Aunt Irene‘s in Sunny South Dallas because I knew she was the real deal. Unfortunately, she was not open. So off we went to Louisiana Catfish on Danieldale in Duncanville, because you can trust them!
Now some of you may like Swai, but do you like paying triple for something that you didn’t order? Well, that’s what you’re doing be- cause Swai is so much cheaper, and with good reason.
I’ve been writing about Swai for years and I’m so disappointed that people are still being so dishonest.
I have never heard anyone in a restaurant ordering SWAI. It’s a shame. Give the people what they want!
