escolar/white tuna

[zeffer81]

I bought some lovely looking escolar at the market yesterday (knowing what effect it could have on my insides.) however, i've been searching the web and i've come across way more warnings than recipes. i'm starting to get scared! does anyone have a good recipe that will minimize the havoc on my insides?

i've heard that grilling is good bc it drains some of the oils that cause the distress...

[markk]

I've eaten it a number of times with no distress- actually two of us have. You might not have to do anything.

[artoeat]

I've bought it many times and have had no trouble. I like to make it with acid overtones as in a fruit salsa with lime. I use some mint- don't like cilantro. Grilling with a soy glaze is nice too!

[Luckylies]

Take two immodium before?

or just don't eat too much.

you should be fine.

[Abra]

Emma's got it. No more than 5 oz per person, and 4 to be safe. It's a question of quantity, as opposed to prep method. It's a good fish to serve with something else - a couple of scallops, or some black cod, just to up the portion size without the distress. I love escolar!

[markk]

Come to think of it, the times I've had it has been in tasting menus, with small portions of it.

[WHT]

How well it is trimmed mat be a factor. On ask.com I found severalsites that had some good preperation sugestions.

[hummingbirdkiss]

oh wow ...I had no idea what fish you were talking about ...so I Googled it and found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar I ate some " butterfish" in Hawaii and wonder if this is what it was ...if I had read this first and knew ...I would not have eaten it ! I somehow am put off by the type of GI distress this can cause and can not imagine wanting to take a chance with it! especially while on a lovely vacation!!!!

I have to admit now that I think I may have tried it ..that was really good fish ...whatever it was!

Edited February 19, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[fyfas]

Have to agree... the issue more than anything else is portion size; 4 or 5 ounces MAX. That said, some people are more sensitive to escolar than others so it works like a food allergy, too.

I especially like it when the weather is warm with a fruit salsa (diced mango, jalapeno, red onion) and steamed, green something or other - asparagus/sugar snap peas/snow peas.

Oh, and a crisp white wine !

[tafkap4d]

Oh no for me. I refuse to eat anything with snake in the name! Eeek - I've got the heebie jeebies right now.

How does it taste? I will live vicariously through all of you.

I am not very adventurous with my food (I am not Anthony Bourdain) and I am also “strange” when it come to preparations. I wanted to try monkfish and bought a couple of pounds of it and got home and could barely touch it – it was shaped so funny. I’ve got weirdness about me in regard to foods.

I guess I should post a food hang up post, hunh?

[zeffer81]

UPDATE:

Grilled up two small escolar filets last night after a brief marination in grapefruit juice, ginger oil, soy sauce and honey. I had a tiny portion (about half the size of my palm, tops) which was fine with me because I don't normally eat a large amount of fish. The boyfriend did not heed my warnings ("why would they sell something that can make a person sick?" he says) and ate about twice that amount. We had baked potatoes loaded with sour cream, broccoli, sardinian gold cheese and a little salsa for me on the side. Looking back, the fish was more of a side to the potatoes than the other way around.

I'm happy to report that, as of 10:45am, neither of us has experienced the aforementioned GI distress. The fish was delicious and we would both be delighted to eat it again.

[guzzirider]

The boyfriend did not heed my warnings ("why would they sell something that can make a person sick?" he says) and ate about twice that amount.

←

Tell him they sell it because it tastes good! Some people are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of delicious food:

http://winnipegsun.com/SundayFocus/2007/02/16/3638741.html

__Jason

[Jensen]

UPDATE:

I'm happy to report that, as of 10:45am, neither of us has experienced the aforementioned GI distress.  The fish was delicious and we would both be delighted to eat it again.

←

I've made escolar twice, eating the same amount each time. The first time I ate it, I had no problems whatsoever. The second time, I didn't get off so easy.

[The Hersch]

I just can't see why this would bother anybody:

The gastrointestinal symptoms, called "keriorrhoea", caused by these wax esters may include oily orange diarrhea, discharge, or leakage from the rectum that may smell of mineral oil. The discharge can stain clothing and occur without warning 30 minutes to 36 hours after consuming the fish. The oil may pool in the rectum and cause frequent urges for bowel movements due to its lubricant qualities and may be accidentally discharged by the passing of gas. Symptoms may occur over a period of one or more days. Other symptoms may include stomach cramps, loose bowel movements, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

(from the Wikipedia article linked above)

[Abra]

Well, I've eaten and served it dozens of times, and by limiting the portion size to 4-5 oz per person max it's never been a problem. It's a delicious fish. Try a bite or two and see what you think.

[eatrustic]

...and again Escolar is demonized (with some reason): Escolar/oilfish

Interesting how Escolar is described as being barely above fit for human consumption in this article as it is damn tasty with a beautiful texture.

By the way Jensen, when you said you tried it twice but didn't get off so easy the second time would that be off the throne?