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A simply superb dish from !

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This is a rather sweet fish dish, with all sorts of character from the smoke, brine, and glaze.
Wuff paired it up with some "Reborn" leftover steamed take-out white rice, from a local Chinese restaurant, and some nice pan-seared tomatoes.

Swai fish, also know is Asian Freshwater Catfish, has a bit of a "notorious" and somewhat controversial reputation in some circles. Like Tilapia and many others, it is a bottom-feeding farmed fish. An "agricultural crop" rather than fresh caught and wild. This makes it very economical, but also subject to somewhat "industrial" growing methods.

Some folks claim that heavy use of antibiotics to keep the "crop" healthy has detrimental effects on those eating the fish. Wuff isn't too sure about that, but the meat was cheap, and wuff wanted a fish that would soak the flavors he was bringing without adding to much "fishy" flavor of its own (Vrghr's roomie is VERY particular about fish!)

Swai, like Tilapia and Tofu, is pretty much a blank canvas to paint upon. In this case, it worked out VERY well!

Vrghr also provides the recipes for the side dishes, below. The rice was just a pint of left-over steamed white rice that had been in the fridge a couple days. Like all such, it had pretty much solidified into a white rice rock. Vrghr's preparation brought it back to flavorful, robust, soft and tender life.

The tomatoes add a blast of fresh garden flavor, but wuff wanted to 'kick them up' a little to go with the strong, smoky flavors of the fish. A quick sear in olive oil concentrated some of the tomato flavor and added a bit more substance from the olive oil.

Remember, the glaze and brine is going to make this fish fairly sweet, with a little touch of heat. And there's a pretty strong smoke component to this. If you prefer lighter or more savory fish flavors, this might not be the meal for you.

Maple Bourbon Glazed Smoked Swai

Ingredients:

2 Swai Fillets (~ 1/2 lb each) (And mild white fish will work. Tilapia, Cod, Catfish, etc)

(For the Glaze)

½ C Maple Syrup
1/3 C Bourbon
1 Tbs Ponzu (or Soy Sauce)
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Peri Peri
1 tsp Ginger paste
½ tsp Granulated Garlic
+2 Tbs Reserved Brine

(For the Brine)

¾ C Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
¼ C Cane Vinegar
2 Tbs Sweetened Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Sriracha
2 tsp Omnivore Salt
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Old bay seasoning
1 tsp dried Ginger powder
1 tsp Brown Sugar

(Dry Seasoning)

Smoked Paprika
Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Combine all brine ingredients in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl and heat until steaming, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar dissolves and the flavors combine. Allow to cool slightly.

Rinse and pat the fillets dry with paper towels. Place into a zip-top bag. Pour the brine in and squeeze to remove the air while zipping shut. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours, turning occasionally to keep all the fish submerged in the bine.

Set the smoker for low (200 degrees) heat. When the smoke is running well, remove the fish from the bine (reserve some of the brine – optional), pat dry, and sprinkle lightly with Smoked Paprika and pepper on both sides.

Place in smoker and allow to smoke in very low heat until fish is nearly done (about 90 minutes in wuff's smoker, which varied between 180 and 200 degrees). In the last 10 minutes, brush with the glaze (see below), and let it smoke into the fish a bit.

While the fish is smoking, prepare the glaze: Place all the glaze ingredients into a small sauce pan. Allow to cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by about 1/3. Optional, now stir in a couple tablespoons of the brine to incorporate a bit of its flavor profile. Cook another 5 minutes at a good simmer.

Reduce heat to warm and hold until the fish is nearly done in the smoker. Paint one coat of glaze on top of the fish in the smoker and let it finish smoking.

Remove fish from smoker. Paint another thick layer of glaze on top, and place fish on a broiler pan lined with tinfoil. Broil on top rack, close to the heat, while preparing the tomatoes. Should only need about 5 minutes to get a nice sear and a bit of charred edges and 'set' the glaze.

"Reborn" Take-out Rice:
Ingredients:

1 Pint leftover take-out steamed rice
3-4 Tbs Chicken Stock
1-2 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs minced Shallot
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
4 Green Onions (Scallions), chopped, both white and green parts
½ carrot, finely grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a medium-large skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add minced garlic and shallots. Sauté until fragrant and shallot is turning translucent (about 3 minutes)

Add the rice and the soy sauce, and stir to break up the rice and coat it with the hot, herb-seasoned butter.

Add the white parts and most of the greens of the chopped green onions (scallions), reserving some of the green parts for garnish. Stir in, and continue to cook a minute or two.

Add the chicken stock, stir, and cover, reducing heat to medium low. Let stock steam and evaporate to fully soften the rice (it gets hard in the fridge when stored). Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When chicken stock is fully absorbed and rice is soft and fragrant, reduce heat to warm to "hold".

Seared "Grape" Tomatoes
Ingredients

~1 C "Cherry" or "Grape" Tomatoes, sliced in half
~1 Tbs good olive oil
Dash of Basil (Optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Note – this part is QUICK! If you want, (wuff strongly suggests), plate out the rest of the dish and then finish with these tomatoes at the last moment. Should only need about 1min to 90 seconds, tops, to make these.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil until very hot, but not smoking

Add the sliced tomatoes, cut side down. Allow to sear for about 30-45 seconds, then toss and allow the other parts to sear for a few seconds. Repeat until the tomatoes are all well-heated, but not too much (or they break down into sauce and juice).

Optional – sprinkle with fresh chopped Basil

Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Plate up the rice, sprinkle with the chopped Green Onions and grate (or use a micro-plane) some carrot over the rice. Lay the fish in on top of the rice, and surround it with the seared tomatoes.

DEVOUR!

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Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being