Escobar...um, EscoLAR!

[marmalady]

Just found this wonderful fish from Hawaii, and cooked some last night - but couldn't find much at all about it when googling. Anyone know anything about it?

Tasted like a sort of buttery halibut, texture like Chilean sea bass - and white like the sea bass.

 

[urmaniac13]

So I take it is a fish with white flesh?? I found that so many of the recipes for white meat fish (haddock, bass, cod, flounder, halibut etc etc.) are perfectly interchangeable. I would just apply one of my favourite recipes for it, but give it a little more time and see if someone like ironchef will come up with something stupendous...

 

[marmalady]

Tx - I didn't have any trouble figuring out a way to prepare it - just wanted to learn more about the fish! Yes, it's a white fish, but a very 'dense' fleshed one - on the order of halibut or Chilean Sea Bass. I'm wondering if it has another name in Hawaii - nothing came up when I googled 'Hawaiain fish'.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I've never heard of "Escobar", but do know that there's a popular Hawaiin fish known as "Escolar". While it's purported to be delicious, there have also been a number of cases of poisoning associated with it. Apparently it can carry a high level of some type of toxin in its flesh. Here's a link to an interesting news story on "Escolar".

http://www.nbc4.tv/newslinks/1773988/detail.html

I'd be careful. Since there doesn't seem to be any information on any fish called "Escobar", it wouldn't surprise me if your "Escobar" turned out to actually be "Escolar".

 

[ironchef]

Breezy's correct, the fish that you've gotten is escolar. Escolar is interchangeable in any recipe that uses sea bass, cod, or halibut. The toxin that's being refered to is something that affects a small percentage of people who eat the fish. Basically the toxin will act like a laxative. From what I've read it's not deadly and not painful; you just have to keep using the bathroom. Because it only affects such a small percentage of people, the only way to really find out if it affects you is to eat the fish. It's a great fish to eat so I would definitely recommend it to anyone, albeit with a warning attached.

 

[marmalady]

Well, no wonder I couldn't find anything on 'escobar', lol - duh! I swear that's how they had it labelled in the fish market!

And as for the toxin - I think DH is one of those folksl who's sensitive to it; he thought he had food poisoning last night - oh Dear! But at least now we know what the cause was! Thanks so much for the info, guys!

 

[ironchef]

Well, no wonder I couldn't find anything on 'escobar', lol - duh! I swear that's how they had it labelled in the fish market!

And as for the toxin - I think DH is one of those folksl who's sensitive to it; he thought he had food poisoning last night - oh Dear! But at least now we know what the cause was! Thanks so much for the info, guys!

Well Marm, now you know that if he's ever constipated, just give him a piece of escolar.

 

[kyles]

Oh I take it all back........our restaurant at work serves escolar, and I thought they made up the name............you know, found some mystery cheap fish in the market and dubbed it escolar! lol

I'd never heard of it either, weird to find a Hawaiian fishie in a cafeteria in England.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Yes - it's actually been nicknamed the "Caster Oil Fish", or something along those lines.

While there are far too many other safer species of fish to enjoy for me to take a chance on this one, I know that some folks adore trying new things &/or living dangerously - lol!!!

That said, the only caveat I would definitely recommend is not to serve this to the very young, very old, or anyone with a compromised immune system, since the effect this fish can have could be rather debilitating to them.

 

[urmaniac13]

The toxin that's being refered to is something that affects a small percentage of people who eat the fish. Basically the toxin will act like a laxative. From what I've read it's not deadly and not painful; you just have to keep using the bathroom. Because it only affects such a small percentage of people, the only way to really find out if it affects you is to eat the fish. It's a great fish to eat so I would definitely recommend it to anyone, albeit with a warning attached.

Actually, I had a grouper Saturday for a dinner, which was my first try. Sunday I was rudely awakened by a symptom quite similar to the above description, which went away within a few hours. Do you know if groupers have the same kind of toxin????

 

[BreezyCooking]

Groupers also can carry certain toxins in their flesh, particularly in large specimens. From what I understand, though, the toxins carried in Groupers (& in other fish that inhabit tropical waters) normally present a flux of symptoms relative to food poisoning rather than just a laxative effect.

Just like with Escolar, some people are extremely sensitive to the toxins found in grouper, & if you're one of them, it's best to steer clear.

 

[urmaniac13]

Yes, my symptom was accompanied by a mild tummyache, though I had had it much worse in other previous occasions. (But it was not very pleasant all the same!!) It was the first time any fish bothered me in this way (and no, I was not in the Airplane! movie... ), but well, seems like I should better stay clear of any groupers... thanks very much for the info, BC!!

 

[Andy M.]

Not prepared to take a chance. There are plenty of fish in the sea...

Never said I was an original thinker.

 

[ironchef]

For those brave enough to take the plunge. You can use butterfish (ideal sub.), halibut, or sea bass in place of the escolar:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f16/miso-glazed-escolar-kim-chee-ko-chu-jang-22975.html#post274880

 

[marmalady]

Just an update on our Escolar adventures - DH had me toss the remaining piece we had in the freezer! First he thought, well we'll just cook it and give it to the dogs - then - naaaaah!