What is Basa?

I buy all my Basa from the Publix grocery stores located in Florida. I'm sure that other grocery stores in Florida also carry it.

Checking out my 32 oz. (2 lbs.) 907g package of Fresh Frozen BASA fillets boneless and skinless it says they are 100% Natural Farm Raised. According to the Sell by date, they would appear to stay fresh frozen for a one-year period. I was paying $13.99 per package, but found the price went up to $14.99 on June 1, 2009.

The back-side of the package states that the ingredients are BASA. Product of Vietnam Farm Raised.

It has the Publix guarantee: Complete satisfaction or your money back.

What's interesting is that the Nutrition Facts states a serving size of 3 oz (85g) cooked (approximately 1/2 fillet) with servings per container about 10. That doesn't make sense as my package contained 4 individually sealed fillets. I'm wondering if maybe 2 fillets are missing from my package?

UPDATE: This year, it was April and Basa was not available at our local supermarket!!! It was not until June 1, 2009 that Basa became available again in Northeastern Jacksonville. Even Publix Supermarkets had it on backorder, but it was just not coming into their warehouse. When it finally was available, I bought 3 of the 32 oz. packages. It was funny at checkout that the cashier thought they were priced buy 1 get 1 free. But they weren't priced that way. However, in the fish department the price showed $13.99 even though they rang up at the cash register as $14.99. Because I pointed out the discrepancy, I got one of those packages for free! Wow, I sure am glad that Basa is available again -- and glad that I've helped to make it popular in Northeastern Florida because all of my word-of-mouth promotions!

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For THREE consecutive years, for many weeks, if not a couple of months, Basa was NOT available for purchase during the summer months.  Three years ago, when I inquired I was told something about U.S. customs?  Last year, it was unavailable for a longer period of time and the reason was the FDA? This year, the fish and meat manager has NO idea why the basa fish is not available to Publix.

This prompted me to investigate what is up with the Basa fish that is our family's favorite fish.  You see, we used to eat Basa at least twice a week!  What I learned is that this fish has been the subject of some controversy going back several years.  There's been a lawsuit, talks of dumping with lower than market prices, and even mislabelling of product!   There's been some scuttle-butt that not all Basa was indeed Basa, but possibly Tra [P. hypophthalmus] or China Sole.

Amount per serving: Calories 150; Calories from fat 50

Total Fat 6g - 9% daily value [DV]
Saturated Fat 2g - 10 % DV
Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 20mg - 7% DV
Sodium 120mg - 5% DV

Total Carbohydrate 0g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g

Protein 25g

Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron -- each 2%

According to the Publix package AND personal experience ...

With its clean, fresh flavor and delicate, moist texture, basa tastes delicious regardless of the recipe. Supremely versatile, this fish is mild enough to take on other flavors, but flavorful enough to shine in the simplest preparations. These fillets were frozen fresh after being harvested and trimmed, making it easy to serve a healthful, fresh-tasting seafood meal anytime.

First you should thaw the fillet. Take out how many fillets you would like to cook from the package outer wrapper. What works well for me is to keep the frozen fillet in the individually sealed plastic wrap. Put them in a sink with cool water that covers the fillets. They will usually thaw within 2 hours. Remove from the wrappers and rinse.

As you can see from this fillet of Basa, it has a nice light pink color. As the fillet cooks, it becomes white and flaky!

In a frying pan, I add a tablespoon of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter along with a tablespoon of olive oil. After the butter has melted, I add the Basa fillet.

This particular fillet is probably nearly 8 oz. and could serve two depending upon appetite and side items.

In this picture, you have an idea of just how much seasoning I like to add to the Basa fillet.

I sprinkle it lightly with garlic salt, lemon pepper and cayenne pepper!

I then cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes; flip and season sparingly with garlic salt, lemon pepper and cayenne pepper if you want!

As I like it spicy, I do season both sides, but a little less on the flip side.

Cook for additional 5-10 minutes.

I flip one more time to "wet" the seasonings and then I serve.

As I had some broccoli spears that had been in my refrigerator for a few days, I decided to have that as my side dish as opposed to the rice and spinach that usually accompanies my "favorite" recipe listed below.

Pictured here is the cooked Basa and broccoli which makes a nutritious, low-calorie, vitamin-enriched dinner!

My Favorite Recipe: When I prepare Basa, my favorite recipe has the SPICY touch. I use the leftover package of red curry paste pictured here, after making my "chicken red curry Thai style!" In a frying pan, I add a tablespoon of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter along with a tablespoon of olive oil. After the butter has melted, I blend in the red curry paste and stir until I have a red liquid mixture. I then add the Basa fillets; sprinkle with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes; flip and season lightly with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Cook for additional 5-10 minutes. I flip one more time to "wet" the seasonings and then I serve. My favorite side item is rice and creamed spinach.

The two different rices that I prefer to serve are #1--Zatarain's New Orleans Style Jambalaya With Cheese [I add a little red pepper + 2 tablespoons of olive oil when cooking] or #2--Uncle Ben's Country Inn Broccoli Rice au Gratin.

4 basa steaks
1 pint (600 ml) milk
1 tbspn cornflour, cornstarch
1 tbspn olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch (2.5cm) piece root ginger, peeled and grated
dash of chilli sauce
1 tbspn lemon
1/2 tspn sugar
1 tbspn soy sauce

Grill the basa steaks for about 5 minutes either side - brush with oil to prevent drying out.

Meanwhile, fry the onion and ginger until softened.

Bring the milk to the boil and thicken with cornflour.

Add the fried onion and ginger and the rest of the ingredients to the sauce, stir thoroughly and pour over your grilled basa steaks. Serve with noodles. --www.find-a-seafood-recipe.com.

4 basa steaks
olive oil
black pepper
lemon juice
4 oz (100g) butter
handful chopped parsley

Take the butter and mix into it the chopped parsley, a dash of lemon and some pepper. Roll into a sausage shape and leave it in the fridge whilst you cook your fish.

Heat the grill, line and grease your grill pan.

Place the basa fish steaks about 4" (10cm) from the heat and grill for about 5 minutes either side - brushing with oil to prevent them drying out.

Serve immediately with a portion of the parsley and lemon butter on top; with a salad and bread or potatoes. --www.find-a-seafood-recipe.com.

Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on the import of five species of seafood from China due to possible contamination with medications.

June 28 2007: 4:54 PM EDT. ROCKVILLE, Md. (CNN) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced it is blocking the import from China of five species of seafood until their importers can prove they are not contaminated.

"FDA is initiating an import alert against several species of imported Chinese farmed seafood because of numerous cases of contamination with drugs and unsafe food additives," said Dr. David Acheson, the agency's assistant commissioner for food protection, in a conference call with reporters.

The species cited are catfish, eel, shrimp, basa and dace, he said. Basa is similar to catfish; dace is similar to carp.

The medications cited include the antimicrobials nitrofuran, malachite green, gentian violet and fluoroquinolones. Nitrofuran, malachite green, and gentian violet have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Use of fluoroquinolones in food-producing animals can result in antibiotic resistance.

None of them is approved for use in farmed seafood in the United States and some of them have been shown to cause cancer when fed to laboratory animals for "prolonged periods of time," Acheson said.

Alerts have been issued in the past, but Thursday's announcement is the largest. The food will not be allowed into the United States until the importer can prove it is free from harmful contaminants, Acheson said.

He said the agency decided to broaden its previous alerts for products from individual companies to a countrywide alert after tests showed that 15 percent of those species of seafood produced by 18 companies in China contained traces of one or more of the contaminants.

"FDA is taking this action to protect the public health of the American people," he said. The products "could cause serious health problems if consumed over a long period of time," he said. Still, Acheson added, the low levels of contaminants means that there is "no imminent threat" to the public health.

China is the world's largest producer of farmed fish, accounting for 70 percent of the total produced, he said. It is the third-largest exporter of farmed fish to the United States.

The action is an import alert, which means that these products from Chinese processors "will be detained and refused entry into the United States until the importer can demonstrate that the product is safe and in compliance with applicable regulations," said Margaret O' K. Glavin, FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.

Last year, the FDA slapped a countrywide alert on all Chinese eel after tests showed residues of an antimicrobial agent, she said. Since then, and "despite extensive communications between FDA and appropriate Chinese authorities to correct the problem, we have continued to find residues of certain veterinary drugs or food additives that are not permitted for use in the United States," she added.

Glavin said the FDA inspects 5 percent of seafood from China. The first alert on Chinese seafood occurred before 2001, she said.

"We're not asking for this product to be withdrawn from the market or for people to take this out of their freezers and throw it away," Acheson said. "This is a long-term health concern; it is not an acute health concern."

China is not the sole offender, Glavin said. Import alerts have been ordered for firms in the Philippines, Mexico "and several others," though this is the first countrywide import alert, she said.

More than 80 percent of shrimp eaten in the United States is imported, including 7 percent from China, according to the National Fisheries Institute.

About 10 percent of catfish eaten in the United States comes from China, the seafood industry advocacy group said.

Last year, the United States imported 590,299 metric tons of shrimp from abroad; 68,150 metric tons of which came from China, according to the Department of Commerce.

The United States imported $1.2 billion of fish from China in 2004, according to H. M. Johnson & Associates, a seafood industry research group. --money.cnn.com.

Here's a picture again of the actual Basa that I had for dinner.

I've included this here so that you can be the judge. Does this look like the Basa that is Pangasius bocourti or does it not resemble the Tra or pink Pangasius Hypophthalmus shown below?

Pangasius Hypophthalmus or Tra that looks similar in COLOR to the Basa that I had for dinner.

While it looks similar in color, the fillets look a bit different.

I found this picture at TT Agriculture along with many other pictures of Pangasius Hypophthalmus.

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