Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Trader Joe's offers a wide variety of seafood options from fresh to frozen. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Dover Sole to the Fresh Wild Salmon to their very popular Squid Ink Spaghetti find dozens of reviews of Trader Joe's seafood products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
The pros: Trader Joe’s Thai Shrimp Gyoza has more in common with a spring roll. If you enjoy a spring roll, then you will likely enjoy this.
The cons: This was disappointing. I was anticipating some heat with this. There was no heat in the product whatsoever. Although the directions say you can microwave these, it should be avoided.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Coconut Shrimp are a decent tasting appetizer or quick dinner.
The cons: Could have been crispier, shrimp could have been bigger, ratio of breading to shrimp was about 1:1.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia are reasonably priced, heat up well, make for a solidly portioned fish meal and are crisp.
The cons: When prepared in the oven this product does leak some oil so be prepared to put something under this.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Shrimp Spring Rolls are a light, filling and healthy option in the refrigerated case.
The cons: Without the dressing this is like eating a salad completely plain.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Shrimp Stir Fry is a terrific tasting item if you are dieting or just watching calories or carbs. Rich in vitamin C.
The cons: Not enough water chestnuts, bean sprouts were mushy and lots of broccoli stems.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Salmon Bacon is nice and smoky flavored that makes you feel like you are eating a “healthy” bacon.
The cons: Price. Once the smoke subsides, there is a strong fish flavor.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tempura Shrimp Crunch Rolls is an on the go sushi where you can grab and go. There is a selection of sushi to choose from. Tasty but non traditional dipping sauces.
The cons: Not a variety that works well in the refrigerated section. Rice was all wrong. Tempura batter on shrimp was mush.
The verdict: …
The pros: With a little planning and a bit of actual cooking, Trader Joe’s Uncooked Wild Blue Shrimp are quite good. Shrimp are a blank canvas and take well to a variety of cooking methods. These were a nice size and were not fishy at all.
The cons: Expensive, but a better value than some other options in the freezer aisle.
The verdict: …
The pros: Convenience, vacuum sealed pouch, good directions, after being prepared according the suggestions, Trader Joe’s Frozen Swordfish was tasty.
The cons: This review is going to be dependent on your ability as well. This a product that is going to depend on your cooking ability as well as the product is uncooked. Some might avoid Swordfish as to the possible mercury content. This product is from Singapore.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Honey Walnut Shrimp crisps up in the oven in about 10 minutes. Flavorful sauce, of which I didn’t need all of it.
The cons: I wished there was more shrimp. High in fat. Could have been more walnuts in the bag
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Canned Crab Meat is the cheapest crab meat around. You’ll have to find the right medium for this product. I doubt it would be any good in a crab dip or crab or seafood salad. You can get away with this in a crab cake, but not a Maryland style crab cake where the crab is the star. If you can afford it, splurge for the new product in the freezer aisle Wild Caught Crab.
The cons: Lacks the appearance of lump crab. It looks like they cleaned out the machine, packaged it in water, threw some bigger chunks on top so hopefully you won’t notice the shavings of what’s left. Crab is not from the US. Slight metallic taste even though it has a paper wrapping in the can.
The verdict: …
The pros: The taste of Trader Joe’s Wild Caught Crab Meat will remind you of the ocean. There is a distinct saltiness that hits you first followed by the soft and sweet flavor of crab. It will take a little breaking up the meat by hand to make it not look so unattractive coming out of the vacuum sealed bag.
The cons: Crab meat not from the US, keep an eye on possible shells. A little grey coming out of the package which visually made me a bit uneasy, but its pre-cooked so you can eat it once the package is defrosted.
The verdict: …
The pros: Tasty ravioli, visually Trader Joe’s Lobster Ravioli are very pretty with a candy cane like stripe. Makes for 2 servings or one big serving.
The cons: Filling is very homogenous so don’t expect big chunks of lobster here.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Sriracha Seafood Potstickers are very tasty if you prepare these the way pot stickers should be prepared: in a pan.
The cons: I microwaved half of the batch. Big mistake. They came out dry and rubbery.
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The pros: If you enjoy lox with your bagel, Trader Joe’s Cold Smoked Salmon Fleurettes is a lower carb snack for you. It’s exactly three ingredients in a pretty little flower shape.
The cons: Fleurettes were a bit of a pain and slippery to get out their cups. Keep that in mind if you are serving these to company. It’s raw fish so this might make some of you squeemish.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Scallops Wrapped in Bacon is quick, easy, and fast. It’s an appetizer that is preassembled for you in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s. As easy as it gets as the skewers are already given to you. Minimal effort required.
The cons: Some fishiness which some people might find unpleasant. Brown sugar glaze might be a bit much to add to a fish dish.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lobster and Shrimp Bites are mini seafood patties, but not finger food.
The cons: Follow the picture on the box if you want a sauce with this. It’s best to add a dab on top, as they won’t hold their shape for dipping. Strange almost carrot like orange hue to these.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Crab Cakes are super tasty and not fried or loaded with breading crab cake. The are true to their name, crab cakes. They contain just enough binding ingredients to keep their shape, but lack the characteristic fried outside. I don’t think the taste suffered either. If you can’t get past the fact that you are not going to have the amount of breading you might be used to and a fried crisp outside, you’ll find this is a very pure cake made almost entirely of crab.
The cons: For two crab cakes, it’s on the pricy side, but you are getting quality. I did find a small shell in one of my cakes. Not loaded with veggies or herbs either.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tempura Shrimp are fried goodness. While not as perfect as your local Japanese restaurant might serve you, this is as good as it gets in the freezer aisle. While these come to you already fried, they did not feel nor taste greasy. Sauce is a soy based but also tastes of a teriyaki as it’s thicker than regular soy sauce.
The cons: Enough dipping sauce for several batches of tempura, which means there is some serious waste here. I wish I could find another use for the excess. They include 2 packages of sauce. One package would be more than sufficient for both. Unless you are literally drinking the sauce.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Stuffed Lobster Halves is a dish that is not frequently available in many grocery stores. In fact you’ll be hard pressed to find it in many restaurants that are done well. I saw lobster and my eyes lit up and wallet immediately opened as I won’t have to harm this creature as someone already beat me to it.
The cons: Look at the picture on the box. See what’s missing from the lobster. I only realized it when I got home and was eating it. It says “filled with lobster.” They removed half the lobster before it’s reached you. A fresh lemon is still required to brighten up the flavor of the stuffing.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Spicy Thai Shrimp Fried Rice is a relatively spicy rice dish that will need some supplementing of protein in order to bring it up to the standard of a meal.
The cons: I thought of this more of a side than its description of being a meal. For 4 servings to be in this bag, I would not consider 2 shrimp to be a meal. They were heavy handed on the Thai Chilis. Not even a lot of veggies on this one either.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Shrimp Toast is a solid choice for an appetizer. It’s chopped shrimp that sit very nicely on top of toasted bread and covered with sesame seeds.
The cons: Basic in flavor. I was hoping for something more complex. The shrimp were plan. So was the toast. The toast even stayed crisp a day later in the refrigerator. Your only excitement is the sesame seeds here.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s 14 Shrimp Nuggets contain crispy and crunchy shrimp nuggets straight from your freezer.
The cons: Greasy. A lot of breading as compared to shrimp.
The verdict: …
The pros: In each package of Trader Joe’s Mojito Salmon you get large pieces of fish (you get 2 in a package), spicy and tasty topping* *(cilantro haters do not apply. If you despise cilantro, please steer clear. You will not like this)
The cons: Took longer than 40 minutes from frozen. You’ll need to like a more poached flavor/visual appearance to enjoy this. Not gluten free. Which is a shame as there is really no need for the wheat ingredients here.
The verdict: …
