Parmesan-Basil Encrusted Swai

It's been a while! I hope that you kids are doing well. Once again, things have been pretty hectic. Papers, homework, and studying for exams has consumed my life :/. I haven't had a lot of time to cook anything new lately. Actually, I've been eating out so frequently that one of the security guards at my apartment has dubbed me "The Jimmy Johns Girl." =_=. First of all, I feel like she could have been way more creative with the nickname. I think that she just nicknamed me the thing that I happened to have that day. My overwhelming desire to go back to my given name was what prompted me to cook tonight. 

This recipe is really simple. Swai has a very mild flavor - not fishy at all like tilapia, so it takes well to lots of herbs and spices. Personally, I like softer fish so I tend to bake my swai. However, it can be breaded, fried, grilled, you name it! Experiment! This recipe has a peppery, creamy, sweet herbaceous taste to it. Here we go!

WHAT YOU NEED
4-5 large pieces of swai
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (you know, the "shaky cheese")
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for drizzling)


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix your parmesan, paprika, basil, cracked black pepper, and salt together. Feel free to taste the mixture before applying to the swai - this will allow you to make sure the mixture has a good balance of salt and pepper for your own taste.

 Drizzle olive oil over the top of your fish (you may want to rub it on the fish for a more even coating). Take each piece of swai and encrust the top of the fish with the mixture. Cover a 13-by-9-inch pan (whatever size works of you) with a piece of tin foil. Spray the tin foil with canola oil spray or coat with butter. 

Place the swai on the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the swai coating is golden brown and fish is flaky. And just like that, you're done! Enjoy!