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Escolar

Escolar is a snake mackerel — not tuna at all — routinely sold as 'white tuna'. Buttery and delicious, but its wax esters can cause digestive distress, and it's banned in Japan.

Also known as

super white tuna, white tuna, butterfish, oilfish

Species

Lepidocybium flavobrunneum (Escolar / snake mackerel)

Category

Other & modern neta

Texture

buttery, very oily — rich, cream-cheese-like, smooth

Peak season

—

Sustainability

unrated — Usually a bycatch species; ratings vary and are often unavailable.

Mercury

Not in the FDA consumer table

Pregnancy

Avoid (raw)

Often swapped with

sold as albacore / 'white tuna' / 'super white tuna'

Price tier

$

Not tuna at all

Escolar is a snake mackerel (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum) — not a tuna in any sense. It’s buttery, oily and genuinely delicious, which is exactly why it’s so often passed off as “white tuna” or “super white tuna.”

The most documented sushi fraud

Oceana’s DNA testing found that 84% of “white tuna” sold in the U.S. was actually escolar — one of the single most consistent substitutions in the seafood supply.

Why it’s banned in Japan

Escolar’s flesh is loaded with indigestible wax esters that can cause keriorrhea — sudden, oily digestive distress — if you eat more than a few ounces. Japan has banned it since 1977. Eat a little if you enjoy it, but order it knowingly: ask for the species by name, and treat “white tuna” or “super white” as a red flag. See albacore vs escolar.

Related neta

See how Escolar compares to similar neta →