Lakeside Table

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • Julia Child Picture Project
  • About Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • Julia Child Picture Project
  • About Me
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • Julia Child Picture Project
  • About Me
ร—
Home ยป Ketogenic Recipes

Steamed Swai and the Twin Cities

Published: Jun 13, 2018 ยท Modified: Dec 31, 2019 by Madalaine ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท

โ†“ Jump to Recipe
One of the best things about going out to eat is trying to make your own version at home.  I don't have near the culinary genius to replicate what most professional chefs procure, but it's tons of fun to play around with dishes they've inspired.  These vegetables wrapped in the steamed white fish (pictured 3 pictures below called swai) is a perfect example of just that. Put a different twist on your next fish dish... literally!  Light buttery fish wrapped gently around brightly colored veggies nestled over a bed of wild rice will make any weeknight seem like a special date night dinner. | www.lakesidetable.com

Inspiration on the river

A little while back, I went up to the Twin Cities for a Pinch of Yum Tasty Food Photography Workshop.  What a great experience!  If you're into food photography, it's a must.  While I was there, I stayed at the Nicollet Island Inn.  The hotel restaurant has big windows that over look the park and the river.  You feel like you're sitting outside at a sidewalk cafe, but you're inside out of the unpredictable weather.
parks-in-miniappolis | www.lakesidetable.com
Right outside the Nicollet Island Inn Restaurant.
My favorite meal I had there was a lightly seasoned delicate white fish rolled around a variety of julienned vegetables.  Everything was steamed and was nestled on top of a bed of rice pilaf.  So good!

Revolutionary

I've had vegetables minced and rolled up as a roulade in pork, beef, and chicken, but never fish.  It never occurred to me that you could do that with fish.  I thought it would simply break or flake apart. When I got home, I made a bee line for the fish monger.  I tried this with tilapia, flounder, trout, and swai.  The last on the list is a light white fleshed fish that hails from Southeast Asia and is very similar to catfish.  Steamed swai holds it's shape beautifully, has a mild flavor, and only flakes when urged to so with your fork.  However, truth be told, I do like to get fish closer to home but I was intrigued by the name and thought I'd give it a go.  It worked beautifully.
Put a different twist on your next fish dish... literally!  Light buttery fish wrapped gently around brightly colored veggies nestled over a bed of wild rice will make any weeknight seem like a special date night dinner. | www.lakesidetable.com
Wrapped and ready to go into the steam oven.
When choosing a fish to wrap your vegetables in, make sure it's thin and flexible enough to bend before it's cooked.  Then you've got a good chance it will  hold it's shape after it's steamed.  If tilapia is readily available, it works very well also. And if you ever get a chance to visit Minneapolis and St. Paul, go.  It's definitely worth a long weekend, especially in July.  It has beautiful parks, theater, cool urban ruins, great restaurants, and of course it's home to Pinch of Yum's food blogger/podcaster Bjork, Lindsey, and their pup Sage.
urban-ruins miniappolis st paul | www.lakesidetable.com
Cool urban ruins with new construction rising up through them.
fishing-in-miniappolis | www.lakesidetable.com
Who knew that some place that gets so cold could be this lush?
Put a different twist on your next fish dish... literally!ย  Light buttery fish wrapped gently around brightly colored veggies nestled over a bed of wild rice will make any weeknight seem like a special date night dinner. | www.lakesidetable.com
5 from 1 vote
Print

Steamed Fish Roulade**

Put a different twist on your next fish dish... literally!ย  Light buttery fish wrapped gently around brightly colored veggies nestled over a bed of wild rice will make any weeknight seem like a special date night dinner.ย  I like this because you can use ยฝ of the vegetables in a quick side salad. ?ย |www.lakesidetable.com
Course main dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Madalaine

Ingredients

  • 2 tilapia filets bones and skin removed, filets should be no more than ยฝ inch thick.
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 carrot julienned
  • ยฝ zucchini julienned
  • ยฝ red bell pepper julienned
  • ยฝ lemon
  • โ…“ cup chopped fresh herbs (such as a mix of parsley, thyme & chives)
  • salt and pepper
  • Equipment
  • steamer or steam basket; or cooling rack & light weight mixing bowl at least 8 inches wide*
  • pot holders or oven mits
  • toothpicks

Instructions

  1. If you don't have a steamer, put a large skillet on the stove with ยฝ inch water.ย  Put steam basket in the water, cover, and simmer.
  2. Lightly salt and pepper the fish.
  3. In a separate skillet, saute the vegetables until crisp tender with the olive oil then lightly season with salt and pepper.
  4. Make 2 small bunches with the julienned veggies and wrap 1 filet around each bundle and secure with a tooth pick.
  5. Place fish bundles in steamer or steaming basket*.
  6. Steam for 15-20 minutes. (Keep checking water level, and fill as needed)
  7. Remove from steam.ย  Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
  8. Serve on a bed of wild rice and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Try this Macgyver-esque steaming technique if you don't have a steamer or steam basket on hand.

  • Place skillet over medium heat and fill with ยฝ inch water.ย  Simmer.
  • Place cooling rack over skillet.
  • Put fish bundles on cooling rack. (Check water level, fill as needed).
  • Cover with light weight bowl.ย  To remove bowl, make sure to use oven mitts.ย  It with be HOT!!!!

You can also you the ยฝ of the vegetables that you have left over in a nice side salad with lettuce.ย  Use the remaining lemon with olive oil and salt & pepper as the dressing to jazz it up.

**Roulade - French for "wrapped around or rolled up"

Nutrition Facts
Steamed Fish Roulade**
Amount Per Serving
Calories 0
% Daily Value*
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Potassium 0mg0%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More ketogenic

  • sous vide chicken wings being finished on the grill
    Sous Vide Chicken Wings: Unbelievably Easy
  • Blue magik panna cotta with whipped cream and blue powder magik
    How to make EASY PANNA COTTA RECIPE | 15 Variations
  • Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Marinade - A little sweet and a whole lot savory, slow roasted for tender moist succulent pork. | www.lakesidetable.com
    How to Cook a Pork Tenderloin in the Oven
  • Dip for veggies in a red bell pepper with little veggie stick bundles tied with chives
    โค๏ธ ๐Ÿฅฆ Best Dip for Veggies | Healthy & Easy in 5 Minutes!

Comments

  1. Surya says

    June 19, 2020 at 5:43 am

    This looks like a great meal!

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Woman with short curly red hair in blue collared shirt smiling in a kitchen.

Welcome!

Hi Iโ€™m Madalaine and I love helping people have FUN in their kitchen. You'll find lots of easy-to-follow gluten-free recipes and tons of tips I learned in culinary school.ย  Most of my recipes are French-inspired butย allย of my recipes are family favorites.

Be sure to check out my cookbook Lakeside Table SAUCES ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿผ. 

More about me

Popular

  • serving platter with meatloaf surrounded by beans, potatoes, and carrots
    Make Ahead Meatloaf | Easy Recipe for Happy Dinners
  • No Carb Pancake Recipe - This will keep you in ketosis but it feels like a pure indulgence. I love this easy recipe! | www.lakesidetable.com
    How to Use a Whipped Cream Dispenser Recipe
  • golden yellow classic hollandaise sauce over poached egg and english muffin
    Classic Hollandaise Sauce for One in 1 Easy Minute
  • Foolproof Poached Egg in 5 Easy Steps

Seasonal

  • white bowl full of red cabbage soup with green parsley on top with lemon, parsley and a red lid in background
    Detox Cabbage Soup for a New Year
  • Magic leek soup with book French women don't get fat
    Emily in Paris Magic Leek Soup So Good!
  • Date Night Dinners: 3 full meals inspired by 3 romantic cities. 3 Step by Step menus you can make ahead of time so you can have FUN in your kitchen!
    How to Make a Flourless Chocolate Torte (Recipe)
  • close up of thick slice of corned beef oven baked on a white plate
    How to Make Winning Corned Beef Recipe | Results are in!

Check Out My Cookbook!

cookbook shown as a hardback and on a tablet

This is the PERFECT GIFT for your favorite foodie.  I gift-wrap each one before I ship them out. SAUCES is a 300-page hardback coffee table centerpiece with beautiful photos of each recipe.

This cookbook is packed with both sauce recipes AND dishes that complement them.

sample cookbook pages with chicken in pan and piccata sauce

Footer

โ†‘ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright ยฉ 2025 Lakeside Table

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.