Frozen fish is perfect to keep for a quick meal. Pair swai fish with orzo in a coconut cream sauce for an easy weeknight dinner.
Jump to RecipeOne of the best parts of being a food photographer for others is trying new food I wouldn’t have normally bought or prepared. Recently, one such food was swai fish. I’ve always cooked with tilapia or salmon.
Swai fish is pretty similar to tilapia. They are both freshwater fish and fairly mild. Swai fish is a little thicker than tilapia, so it takes a little longer to cook. This swai fish was delicious when cooked in oil and a few seasonings.
In addition to the swai fish, we made it with orzo pasta. The coconut cream in the orzo gives it a slightly sweeter flavor but also keeps it dairy free. Coconut cream is a great substitute for heavy cream.

Swai Fish with Orzo Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 fillets swai fish
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 14.5 oz chicken broth
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 lb orzo pasta

Preparation
Add the swai fish and oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Sprinkle with the onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes per side.

Pour in the chicken broth and the coconut cream.
Bring to a boil, then add the orzo pasta.

Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Serve immediately.

Swai Fish with Orzo Leftovers
Storage: Store leftover swai fish with orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for 1-2 days.
Reheating: Reheat everything in a skillet over medium heat. If it’s too dry, you can add a little bit of coconut cream, chicken broth, or water.
Freezing: In my experience, neither cooked fish nor orzo pasta do well in the freezer.

Recipe
Originally Published On: January 23, 2023

Swai Fish with Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 fillets swai fish
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 14.5 oz chicken broth
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 lb orzo pasta
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Add the swai fish and oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat
- Sprinkle with the onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper
- Cook for 5 minutes per side
- Pour in the chicken broth and the coconut cream
- Bring to a boil, then add the orzo pasta
- Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed
- Serve immediately
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Recipes with Orzo
- Swai Fish with Orzo
- Honey Mustard Chicken with Orzo
- Leek Orzo with Fried Eggs
- Cheesy Spinach Orzo Pasta Sides
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Basil in Orzo Pasta
- Shrimp Orzo with Lemon
- Grilled Summer Orzo Salad
- Chicken Orzo Pasta with Vegetables
Other Fish Recipes to try
- Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
- Fried Tilapia Sandwich
- Sheet Pan Baked Tilapia with Roasted Vegetables
- Lemon Rosemary Tilapia
- Dijon-Herb Tilapia
- Tilapia with Pinot Noir Sauce
- Coconut-Turmeric Tilapia and Rice
- Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Swai Fish with Orzo
- Cornmeal-Crusted Salmon
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Smashed Potatoes
- Orange-Ginger Salmon with Toasted Snow Peas
- Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Sauce
- Super Simple Cilantro and Lime Fish Dinner
- Avocado Fish Tacos
- Fish Cakes with Dipping Sauce
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Sesame Salmon
- Salmon with a Bold Soy-Molasses Glaze over Rice and Vegetables
I have not heard of Swai fish before but glad to know that it is similar to tilapia because that is mainly what we cook with as well. The coconut cream flavor sounds delicious and I love that this recipe only takes 30 minutes and not to mention super easy!
Very great recipe and instructions for Swai Fish With Orzo. I love a good fish and this looks amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Your recipe makes the hearty weeknight meal taste much more “fancy” than it really is.Thak you so much!
To have a vibrant Swai fish and orzo dinner on the table this weekend is awesome. I cannot wait to make this.
This sounds like such an easy & delicious meal to make when you don’t want to spend forever in the kitchen!
I’ve never liked seafood, but the other members of my household will eat it on occasion. I don’t know much about swai fish, but I would bet my teenagers would like it.
Yyyaaayyyyyy!!!! I love fish so much. Orzo is a new one to me. I should give this a try!
This looks so good! I haven’t made orzo in ages! I might have to pick this up and make it this week!
You know I see Swai fish in the store, but didn’t know what it was. This looks yummy!
Such a flavorful and comforting one-pan meal! So easy to prepare and perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
I am not familiar with Swai fish. Either way, fish and orzo sound like the perfect combination.
This looks gorgeous! My husband and I aren’t eating any meat or fish this month, but I can’t wait to try something like this next month!
This sounds like such a lovely dish. I think the coconut cream adds so much and makes it a really tasty and a great comfort food. I would love to try to make it myself.
I’ve never tasted a Swai Fish before but this looks so yummy and I can’t wait to try it out! 🙂 Thank you for sharing this recipe; I guess I’ll be having my first Swai fish dinner this weekend 🙂
Never tried Swai fish I am not sure if this one can be found here or not may be the name it different. I love fish so I can try it out.
I have never tried Swai fish but I love flakey white fishes so I think this would be a great recipe for my family! Looks delish!
I love using this fish to cook. They are soft and fishy. I will try this out.
This seems interesting and easy to make. Never tried coconut cream before with cooking. I would love to try this. Thank you for sharing!