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basa fish vs. sea bass


fergarcia

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I have noticed that there's alot of confusion with a popular fish sold in restaurants and stores.

basa is a farmed fish light in flavor and attractive in price. It is imported from vietnam. Look it up in wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basa_fish

sea bass is a wild fish that varies depending on the region.

we are very lucky to have fresh ocean fish locally available throughout the year.

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You'll find extensive conversations on this exact topic if you search this board, lol. But because we are in Mexico, you cannot tell what you are getting or where it is from, unless you are an expert fisherman. They call just about everything here basa, no matter what it is. Even corvina has different varieties, and if someone thinks the name is good, they'll tell you that. There are dozens and dozens of varieties of bass and sea bass, and Vietnam is only one place to get them... some people here will swear it's all Vietnamese catfish, anyway. Not to mention, a ton of frozen, imported farmed fish.

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yes basa is that large mild flavour catfish from Vitnam or China. It is sold frozen as a rule. The Vietnamese ones come from the Mekong Delta. This is what the fishmonger told me. I have never seen the whole fish called basa.

The only way to know what you are getting is to buy the whole fish and have it cleaned and prepared the way you want it.

I never buy filets of anything as there is no way to tell what it really is.

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Guest petirroja

Yes, Basa is catfish. If you ever go to the Mekong Delta and take a river trip, you will see vast numbers of catfish farms floating on the river and on many smaller tributaries. Once is interesting, twice is too much...smells yucky, feeding time is especially messy, and if like me, you had to see them upwards of fifteen times, you'd hate basa. Anyway, I do, and I don't care how it's cooked. It always comes frozen, and is one of VN's largest exports. Several years ago there were problems when the US raised the taxes on basa imports and Americans weren't too popular in that part of the Delta.

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  • 1 month later...

The Basa sold here at Lakeside in Walmart and Soriano and in GDL at Costco is a pond raised type of catfish from Vietnam. The ponds are filled with polluted water from polluted rivers and the ponds are so overcrowded that the fish swim and ingest their own excrement. See the following website and do not take at face value the answer you get when you ask local restaurant owners what fish they are serving in their fish & chips. If they tell you it is sea bass ask for proof. If they tell you it is Mahi Mahi also ask for some kind of proof. Chances are you are eating fish that is not fit for cat food! If the fish you are eating is cheap in price then it is likely Basa!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUY12IRPVaM

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1) in the fish stores & walmart) they have "blanca de bass" it is not a filet. it is very white, & a good price. does anyone know about this fish? 2) any facts about the salmon they sell in the fish stores. you can see it is a whole fish, they cut the fillets for you. i eat this several x's a week. is that ok?

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See "Dirty Water, Dangerous Fish" and then decide whether or not you want to know what you are eating. Perhaps your Fish and Chips might not go down quite so well. If the fish has a "grassy" smell......think about what you might be eating. Remember, most restaurants here just barely get buy........Are they going to buy expensive imported fish?

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