Consumption of Vietnamese catfish -- known variously as basa, tra or panga -- is soaring in the United Kingdom, with more than 555 tons of the fish eaten in the past year, the Daily Telegraph reported.

That figure represents a 42-fold increase over the same period last year, coming as Britons refocus their seafood palates on alternatives to traditional species under threat, such as cod, tuna and haddock.

Not only is basa catching on with consumers in supermarket aisles, it is also carving out a following with restaurants and celebrity chefs. Sales in the past year have totaled more than £4 million (€5.1 million/$7.9 million), the report said.

Cod remains the most popular fish in Britain, with 54,000 metric tons consumed last year, according to figures provided by Seafish. But cod consumption fell 12 percent in the period in volume terms, mirroring haddock and tuna.