Cajun Swai

I had a few Swai fillets left after making Spicy Baked Swai and was up for making something new with it.  I've made pan-seared fish like tilapia, but hadn't tried a dry rub on fish yet.  My husband suggested a BBQ rub, and after checking out a few different recipes we decided cajun was the way to go.


We found a good sounding cajun seasoning recipe to try out, then got to work on the tough task of tossing a few herbs together and coating the fillets with it.  This really was one easy meal to put together!

To make the seasoning, I mixed paprika, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.  The chili powder seemed like an appropriate addition to the mix with the cayenne pepper already involved.

Next, I rinsed the thawed swai fillets and set them on a pan.

I spread seasoning on both sides of the fish, then added the fillets to a preheated cast iron skillet with some olive oil.  I had a little bit of seasoning left over which I set aside to use in a later recipe.

After about 3 minutes, I flipped the fillets and browned the other sides.

I removed the fish from the pan when it began to flake apart.  We served the swai with some mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

The cajun seasoning on these was really good but they were quite spicy! I liked the way the swai tasted cooked in a skillet.  The baked variety was also good, but I prefer a crispier outside and the cast iron skillet gave us just that.  Next time I would sprinkle a tad less seasoning on the fish, but thankfully the mashed potatoes we made to go along with it helped balance it out.  I think a stew would go great with this alongside next time I make a cajun fish, and adding some bread crumbs would help crispen them up even more.

Cajun Swai Recipe

Ingredients:

2 swai fillets
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix paprika, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, and garlic powder. Rinse swai fillets and spread seasoning on both sides. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, then add fillets. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side. When fish easily flakes apart with a fork, remove from pan and serve.