After writing about sustainable seafood, I got an interesting e-mail from a reader who'd eaten escolar. I'd never heard of the fish before, but I'll steer clear of it now.
It seems the oily fish has a, well, laxative effect on the body. So much so that it's been banned in Japan and Italy. Relax, it's escolar.
The Ex-Lax Fish shows up on menus as "white tuna," "butterfish," "rudderfish," and "Hawaiian walu," according to a December Mother Jones story. Fishermen only started catching it in recent decades as they began using new deep-water equipment for tuna and swordfish, and sought markets for the "bycatch" they pulled up with it, the article reports.
Here's what the escolar eater writes:
(Note: I removed the name of the restaurant from the following account because I have not had a chance to contact anyone there. I did confirm online that the place has escolar on the menu, but I'd like to give the restaurant a chance to respond before putting the name out there. I hope to follow up with them and update this post at that point.)
"You've been talking about fish ... and right now I'm not sure I'll ever eat another piece.
"On Sunday I had a chance to get out to the Eastern Shore with my parents, who were in town visiting. We stumbled upon a restaurant in Rock Hall called [bleep]. It was delightful. Everything was great. Really. Great service, great wine, fabulous food. Except ... I ordered a fish I had never heard of, and that's when things took a turn toward the negative.
"Escolar. I didn't know anything about it, but it came with asparagus risotto, mushrooms and grilled ramps. I
was in the mood for fish, being so close to the water. I really wish I'd known exactly what Escolar is though so I could have just ordered the crabcakes like everybody else.
"Escolar, while completely delicious, is the Olestra of fish. It contains an oil humans can't digest. I read that in smaller portions, and grilled, you will generally be OK. Though that's how the restaurant served it, clearly I was the exception. I spent that night in the bathroom and the next two days in bed. I'm still nauseated at
the thought of food. Great way to make the rest of my dinner completely non-caloric, I suppose, but damn, what a situation. I was just lucky to make it home before I got sick. It was a two-hour drive.
"I Googled and read lots of old articles on Escolar, but maybe it's time for another warning? I wish they had printed one on the menu. The chef was very apologetic when I emailed, but she said nobody else had
ever complained. I'm wondering if they had just thought it was food poisoning or if they didn't react in the way I did."