Tender flaky Swai Fillets with Tomato Caper Sauce are irresistible, easy to cook, and very healthy. This recipe for swai fish is a great way to use seasonal tomatoes and herbs. A quick and easy seafood dinner ready in just 20 minutes!
Cooking with swai
Ahh, Swai. You are my favorite fish to cook.
Swai is so tender, flaky, not-too-fishy, cooks quickly, and so versatile! On top of that, swai is one of the most affordable fishes available. I always keep a few frozen swai fillets so that I can take them out in the morning to thaw and then have a quick, healthy, easy dinner later in the day.
I have a bunch of other swai recipes on the blog. You should absolutely check them out and add them to your must-make list.
Tomato caper sauce for fish
In this recipe I cooked Swai in a delicious sauce made of fresh tomatoes, garlic, and tangy capers. This recipe uses 2 fresh tomatoes to make the sauce, but if you want to save even more time, you can use a can of diced tomatoes with the juices. I always use fire-roasted diced tomatoes when I use canned tomatoes because the charred tomatoes look so pretty.
The capers release their wonderful flavor into the tomato juices and don't taste too sharp. This is the brand of capers I used. To be honest, they all taste the same to me on their own! So I just look for ones that don't have any funky preservatives, just vinegar and salt.
Don't get huge capers (such as these) because they would totally overpower the tomato sauce and be too much vinegar flavor if you took a bite of one of these. Just my personal preference.
More easy pan-cooked seafood recipes: Brown Butter Scallops
Spinach for extra nutrition
I added a handful of spinach to the tomato-caper sauce because spinach is one of those vegetables that is very easy to hide in a recipe - it cooks down to a tiny fraction of its size compared to raw and doesn't impart too much flavor onto the dish. It's a super easy way to get extra vegetables into your dinner.
Overall this is a super healthy swai recipe because it is light in calories and has a nicely sized portion of vegetables in each serving.
Cooking swai in tomato caper sauce
You'll need a large 12 inch skillet with a lid for this recipe (such as this one), because you'll need to cover the swai fillets and let them poach in the tomato caper sauce.
This recipe is super easy: You saute the garlic and capers with diced tomatoes until they release juices and the tomato juices mix with the garlic and caper flavors. Then add the seasoned swai fillets and fresh baby spinach and cover with a lid until the fish is fully cooked.
THAT. IS. IT.
It really doesn't get easier than this.
More easy swai recipes: Fish Loaf
What to serve with this swai recipe
The extra tomato sauce from this recipe is PERFECT for serving it over pasta or rice. You can also dip some homemade garlic bread into the sauce (see my whole wheat garlic bread made without butter!). Quinoa or riced cauliflower are good options for side dishes if you want to keep things healthier.
Some bacon roasted vegetables or a side salad (this salad with beets and a homemade citrus dressing!) would be fantastic too.
Just make sure to start cooking your sides at the same time or even before you start on this swai recipe, because the swai will be ready in about 20 minutes!
Try these reader favorites! A few easy swai, salmon, and shrimp recipes on this list.Hungry for more seafood recipes?
Swai with Tomato Caper Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tomatoes - diced (or one 14-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes)
- 2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 Swai fillets - (tilapia or any other white fish fillets can be used)
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs - such as parsley and/or basil, diced
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low and saute the diced tomatoes, thinly sliced garlic cloves, and capers together for 3 minutes until tomatoes soften and release juices.
- Season the Swai fillets generously with salt and pepper, and carefully place into the skillet. Top with 2 handfuls spinach and cover with a lid to allow the Swai to cook and steam, and for the spinach to wilt.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the Swai is fully cooked and the spinach is completely wilted. Stir the wilted spinach into the tomato sauce without disturbing the Swai, remove from heat, and top with freshly cut herbs.Serve with pasta, rice, and roasted vegetables.
Notes
- Any thin white fish fillet, such as tilapia or catfish, works great in this easy, healthy recipe!
- Fresh herbs really add a fresh flavor to the dish. Parsley and basil are great herb combinations in this tomato-caper sauce
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Elena
Sunday 19th of March 2023
I just cooked it (and ate it). I had tilapia and wanted something different. Luckily, I had all the ingredients! It came out so so good - soft and flavorful, and it was really quick and easy.
Kim
Tuesday 7th of December 2021
This receipt was out of this world! I am not the best cook, but I have come a long way and I made this last night (December 6, 2021) and it turned out amazing.
Thank you and I will be using this receipt again!
Kim
Kate
Thursday 9th of December 2021
I'm so glad to hear! Thanks for letting me know!