E is For Escolar And Ecosystems

What this episode covers

On today’s episode, I’m tackling E is for Escolar and Ecosystems. Listen here or download on iTunes and Google Play . What is escolar? Why should you care? Where can you find it and should you eat it? There are two types of ecosystems, marine and terrestrial. Today, I will talk about one specific marine ecosystem: coral reefs. E is for Escolar Let’s start by answering a seemingly innocuous question. What is escolar? Well, get ready because there is nothing simple about this fish. Escolar might be one of the most delicious and dangerous fish in the ocean. Here are some basics. Escolar is a large, fast-swimming fish in warm tropics and temperate climates. In the US, think Florida and Hawaii. Escolar is also called walu walu, Hawaiian butterfish, waloo, or white tuna. Escolar has firm, rich, oily flesh, making it an irresistible and delectable catch. However, that oily content is where the danger lies. Since the escolar’s diet consists of food high in wax esters, and escolars have a tough time digesting wax esters, its flesh is super oily. And super oily fish can be a problem for many consumers. Note: If you want to know more about wax esters, check out the link in the show notes. So should you eat escolar? That’s a personal choice. It is a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth fish. And you may want to gobble it up! But if you do? You need to know a few things first. First, the most important thing to know is where your fish comes from and who your boat captain is. And trust him or her. Not only is that smart business, but you will not doubt what you buy and eat. Second, only eat six ounces of escolar or less. Period. Do not be a little piggy at the sushi bar. And now I need to give you a warning. What you’re about to hear in the next few minutes will either make you laugh or you will be repulsed. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Overconsumption of escolar can lead to abdominal cramps and diarrhea. I’m talking about spending serious time in the bathroom. Think of an oily yellowish-orange hot mess. Seriously! This could happen thirty minutes after eating and last for days. Or worse you could fart that oily liquid unexpectedly. I am not kidding. This shit happens. How do I know? It happened to me. Fortunately, I was at home. Escolar is called the Ex-lax fish for a reason. If you’re still with me, thank you for hanging and hopefully laughing! Alright, so beyond the oily issue, what else can be said about Escolar? We must address why escolar is being sold on the market if it’s such a problem fish. Well, it’s no secret that the seafood industry needs to do something about overfishing. And so there is a huge push to encourage consumers to eat underloved fish. Now, I am all about selling underloved seafood. It’s a terrific way to help curb overfishing, and selling underloved fish supports small-scale fishermen and communities. As you probably guessed, escolar is one of those under-loved species—Also the good news is it’s abundant and inexpensive. But something else needs to be addressed, too. Sometimes, escolar is mislabeled and called white tuna. This is not only inherently wrong, but it has health consequences like those mentioned a few moments ago. So why would escolar be called anything other than escolar? And this is the slippery part of the story. So, first of all, to a chef’s credit, they may be unaware that what they’re buying is escolar. Many chefs don’t buy whole fish, so at the receiving end, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell the difference between escolar or white tuna. Also, not all chefs do the receiving at the restaurant. Sometimes, the dishwasher signs the invoice,

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