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Fish fraud: The menus said snapper, but it wasn't!

The sushi menus said red snapper, a fish prized for its flavor -- and priced accordingly.

But a Sun-Times investigation found good reason to question whether diners are getting what's promised.

The newspaper had DNA tests done on sushi described as red snapper or "Japanese red snapper" bought from 14 restaurants in the city and suburbs. Not a single one was really red snapper.

In most cases, the red-tinged flesh draped across the small mound of rice was tilapia -- a cheap substitute. Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia. Four were red sea bream -- nearly as pricey but still not red snapper.

"It's misbranding, and it's fraud," said Spring Randolph of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees labeling of seafood.

And there's ample reason to believe diners around the country similarly are being taken in, the Sun-Times found: