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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Escolar aka Waloo/Walu...Explosive Facts You Should Know!

     
     Escolar also known as walu/waloo, butterfish, oilfish, super white tuna and king tuna is a delicious oily/buttery fish served in restaurants, often in sushi/sashimi dishes in fine sushi and Japanese restaurants. This is seriously my all time favorite. Recently, I visited one of my favorite local establishments where the chef/owner informed of a new dish he had with the main protein being escolar.  



     He said he could only serve it in a maximum of 6 oz. at a time. He didn't go into detail as to why, and after researching it, I realized he didn't go into detail because we were getting ready to eat lunch and it's not a topic one should discuss prior to dining :-D 



     According to a recent article I found at thekitchn.com titled 'Use Caution When Eating Escolar', ["Escolar is a type of snake mackerel that cannot metabolize the wax esters naturally found in its diet. These esters are called gempylotoxin, and are very similar to castor or mineral oil. This is what gives the flesh of escolar its oily texture. As a result, when full portions of escolar are consumed, these wax esters cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
To be frankly and bluntly specific - and I'm sorry for this - consumption of escolar causes explosive, oily, orange diarrhea. People have reported that the discharges are often difficult to control and accidents can happen while passing gas. I personally know someone who ate an escolar steak one night, unaware of its side effects. The next day he was riding the elevator to his office when out of nowhere his bowels unleashed a surprise attack on his pants. As he said later, "Thank God I had my gym bag with me, which had a clean pair of underwear in it." This explains why escolar is also called the "olestra fish" and the "ex-lax fish."]
     Thank goodness for responsible chefs and restaurateurs for knowing this and not allowing patrons to not consume more than 6 oz.! For more info on this delicious yet cautious consumable fish, visit http://www.thekitchn.com/use-caution-when-eating-escola-66602.









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