Scientific name: PANGASIUS HYPOPTHALMUS
Market name: Basa, Vietnamese Catfish
The Basa fish - Pangasius Hypopthalmus, is a type of catfish in the family Pangasiidae. Basa are native to the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Chao Phraya basin. Basa is now farmed in large quantities.It is the most popular fish in Vietnam and consumed in increasing quantities around the world.
The body of a Basa fish is stout and heavy. The rounded head is broader than it is long, the blunt snout having a white band on its muzzle. Basa fish can be found in large rivers, in rapids and in deep, slower reaches. Basa fish feed on plants. These fish spawn at the onset of the rainy season.
It is white, pinkish and is available year round. Basa is a tender, mild and fine-flaked fish.