Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza

Taste and taste

I have made the mistake of buying sushi at Trader Joe's. More than once. Each time I wallowed in disappointment. Sorry, I was hungry when I made those decisions.

Instead of reaching for a disappointing roll, I think if you are looking for that familiar filling and don't mind sacrificing the rice, then this might be a good new option. As an added bonus, the filling is already cooked, so no warnings about food poisoning are necessary.

Trader Joe's Spicy Salmon Gyoza is new gyoza that adds to quite a long list of gyoza options. Yes, you have the more traditional pork gyoza, chicken gyoza, and the Thai shrimp gyoza.

But this stands out from the other gyoza options. For better or worse, this tastes like it has the cooked filling of a spicy salmon roll (minus the rice).

The salmon is chopped very finely and is farmed salmon. Yes, look at the ingredient list and you'll see the words, "color added" next to the salmon. If you have an aversion to added coloring, then you'll want to skip this. Farmed salmon usually has color added and Trader Joe's Fresh Atlantic Salmon in the refrigerated section is no different. If you want to avoid food coloring, you'll have to reach for wild salmon instead.

Aside from the filling being finely chopped, a good amount of edamame, cabbage, green onion, and carrots came through in texture and flavor.

As did the spice. These are medium in heat. The heat on these slowed me down and lingered a bit. But it didn't render them inedible, just something to be mindful of if you are sensitive.

But, once I read the description, it had me looking back at an older review. It wasn't too long ago that Trader Joe's offered a Seafood Sriracha Potsticker option. While the seafood included here is different, it seemed to be more of a nod to that older option that has disappeared off of shelves.

Perhaps two shrimp dumpling options were just too much for consumers, especially when both are spicy. By having salmon, this stands out more, plus the packaging is more consistent with the rest of the line of gyoza.

Now, as a point of reference, I'll always steer you away from making these in the microwave. These little noodles just don't deal with it very well. These do best in a soup, steamed, or my go-to is pan-frying them.