That white tuna sushi you order at your favorite restaurant may not contain tuna at all, but an oily fish known as escolar.
Last year, 186 restaurants in the state were cited by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for mislabeling their fish, including 24 that involved tuna substitutions in sushi or sashimi. In most instances, the “tuna” was escolar, an oily fish also known as snake mackerel and sometimes called the “Ex-Lax fish” or “castor oil fish” because it can cause diarrhea.
The problem most frequently cited by the state was labeling imitation crab meat, usually pollock, as real crab, while other common substitutions include less costly tilapia in place of red snapper and panga for grouper.