BajaNomad

Toxic Fish.

Cypress - 3-20-2010 at 04:25 PM

Word of warning about eating Butterfish. They have a compound called wax esters that the body cannot digest. Not a good experience.:O Boiling the fish is supposed to make it safe to eat.

woody with a view - 3-20-2010 at 04:38 PM

i'm safe.

i don't think i'll ever see, nor eat a butterfish. where do they hang out?

Cypress - 3-20-2010 at 04:51 PM

They're a deep water fish. More than one species of fish are sold under the name of Butterfish. Snake Mackerel is one of the species marketed under the name of Butterfish. A couple of European countries have banned the sale of 'em.

tjBill - 3-21-2010 at 01:30 AM

Do they sell them in Mexico? If so what is its spanish name?

I just bought two kilos of fresh fish today.

JESSE - 3-21-2010 at 03:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Word of warning about eating Butterfish. They have a compound called wax esters that the body cannot digest. Not a good experience.:O Boiling the fish is supposed to make it safe to eat.


Butterfish, along with many other fish that share common characteristics, have been proven safe to eat if eaten in less than 5 ounces.

Cypress - 3-21-2010 at 04:35 AM

tjBill, The spanish name is Escolar.
JESSE, Have read that also, but after having survived the effects of eating maybe 3/4 lb., wouldn't chance it.:)

JESSE - 3-21-2010 at 05:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
tjBill, The spanish name is Escolar.
JESSE, Have read that also, but after having survived the effects of eating maybe 3/4 lb., wouldn't chance it.:)


5 ounces is the limit for children or elderly people with weak inmune systems, regular people should be fine.

Cypress - 3-21-2010 at 06:36 AM

JESSE, They also call Escolar the "x-lax fish", that ought to tell you something. It is banned in Italy and Japan. I'm a healthy, regular person and the affects were very unpleasant to say the least. They say that you can boil it and render the wax esters out of the flesh.

BooJumMan - 3-21-2010 at 09:51 AM

Oh boy! That sounds like fun. Imma go get me some! :D

How does did the fish taste? I just hope it tasted good going down...?

XRPhlang - 3-21-2010 at 01:09 PM

Very interesting....Ten, or so years ago I bought some Escolar from my fish monger to sell in my restaurant. It got 3 people emergency room sick in one night. The otherwise reputable monger traced the problem back to the fisherman and to the way that they cleaned the fish. Said the problem originated on the boat. The mongers insurance picked up all the claims and I wrote letters of apology to my pure customers. We sold 10 lbs. of it that night which is about 20 people and it got 3 sick. Don't know if they were young, or old. The monger still offers Escolar, but I stay away.

Woooosh - 3-21-2010 at 02:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by JESSE
Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Word of warning about eating Butterfish. They have a compound called wax esters that the body cannot digest. Not a good experience.:O Boiling the fish is supposed to make it safe to eat.


Butterfish, along with many other fish that share common characteristics, have been proven safe to eat if eaten in less than 5 ounces.


so is rat poison.... well not really, but you get the point.

Cypress - 3-21-2010 at 02:13 PM

XRPhlang, Thanks for the input. Don't think eating Ecolar can be fatal. I didn't need medical attention, but will not be eating Escolar again.:)

Lobsterman - 3-22-2010 at 11:37 AM

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7195080

Cypress - 3-22-2010 at 11:48 AM

Lobsterman, Thanks for the info. That pretty much sums it up!

sharktooth - 3-22-2010 at 12:45 PM

here is a photo of a snake mackerel

http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Graphics/OBS/obs_other_fish/obs_sna...

it doesn't look very tasty

Terry28 - 3-22-2010 at 09:00 PM

Recomended meal the day before your colonoscopy