Snakehead is the firm, clean, mild white flesh of the freshwater snakeheads (genus Channa), above all the striped snakehead Channa striata — the Vietnamese cá lóc and Thai pla chon — a long, air-breathing predator of the paddies, canals, lakes and rivers of South and Southeast Asia. Its dense, low-bone, sweet-tasting fillet and its reputation as a strengthening, wound-healing food make it one of the most prized and widely eaten inland fishes across the region, from Vietnamese clay-pot braises to Thai grilled fish and Filipino soured soups.