While Salmon is delicious on its own, why not elevate it with a sauce so good you’ll really want to lick your plate. This salmon meuniere is crisp and forms a delicious pan sauce of butter, lemon, wine, parsley, and capers.
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seafood
Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry
Lunches. There are so many times I am so guilty of not making my lunch. Before I moved close to a Trader Joe’s I existed off of frozen meals. But truthfully, they were pretty terrible. The calorie count was reasonable, but there was a sacrifice in taste. Most of those frozen meals tasted like cardboard. Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry tastes like anything but cardboard.
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Trader Joe’s Cioppino Seafood Stew
So if I’m going to do all these bread reviews, it’s only fair to share something that could use some bread. Or something for all that bread to sop up. I love a good sauce, but with almost a foot of snow being predicted by the weekend, I was thinking about some hearty meal planning and lots of staying indoors by the weekend.
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Trader Joe’s Spicy Shrimp Appetizer Duo
For about a month, I’ve been putting together a list of the worst things I’ve had from Trader Joe’s. If this wasn’t seasonal, it would make the list. How bad was it? Well, the conversation in my household went something like this:
“How was lunch, honey?” my husband asked me.
“I’m making a new one,” I responded.
“Why?” he inquired.
“This was the biggest Trader No’s I’ve had in a while.” “Seriously?” “Seriously.”
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Trader Joe’s Spicy Shrimp Bowl with Riced Cauliflower
So as 2018 draws to a close, it seems that Trader Joe’s has committed to two food products: sugar and cauliflower. The vast majority of the items I’m writing about are super sweet. I was more than happy to give my palate a break. While I don’t mind cauliflower sneaking into more items, but for me, it needs to be done well.
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Trader Joe’s Hot Smoked Scottish Salmon
The pros: Trader Joe’s Hot Smoked Scottish Salmon is a pretty good smoked salmon.
The cons: This is more expensive than even Trader Joe’s Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Like any smoked fish, this has an exceptionally short freshness period. It is highly perishable, so you’ll need to use it right away.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cod Provencale
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cod Provencale is one of the better single meals that you can reach for in the frozen section.
The cons: Not quite as pretty as they package would have you believe. The cod does not taste seasoned at all.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Jumbo Sea Scallops
The pros: Trader Joe’s Jumbo Sea Scallops are found on the freezer section and are individually quick frozen. This bag can be resealed so you won’t have to cook the entire bag.
The cons: Expensive, but good seafood should not be cheap.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl
The pros: Trader Joe’s Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl is another new addition to the refrigerated section and has a lot of familiar flavors.
The cons: My brown rice was a bit more on the undercooked side.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Wild Salmon in Yogurt and Mint Sauce
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wild Salmon in Yogurt and Mint Sauce is easy to prepare.
The cons: Not great overall. You are better off doing a bit of meal prep yourself. Also, I’m not sure what purpose the tomato serves. It was just there for color and did not add much here.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Fresh Atlantic Salmon
The pros: Trader Joe’s Fresh Atlantic Salmon is farm-raised salmon in reasonably sized pieces available at Trader Joe’s. This is one of two refrigerated options: wild and farm-raised.
The cons: Color is added to this. That makes me wonder what color this might actually is before the color is added. Not as cheap as getting it from Costco, but certainly not sold in the same quantity.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Wild Fresh Haddock
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wild Fresh Haddock is a fresh option in the refrigerated case at a reasonable price.
The cons: You’ll need your own recipe as cooking suggestions are limited to bake, pan fry or broil with no suggestions as to how long.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
I don’t know about you, but I’ve become an increasingly cynical shopper. I remember when Whole Foods first started to become popular. But the premise of paying more for “natural” foods drives me a bit nuts. To me, something “organic” should not be a premium. Shouldn’t food just be a naturally occurring thing? Without needing an upsell? For the most part, I think all-natural stuff should be the cheap stuff. If there is something truly special about it, then they can convince me to pay more for it.
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Trader Joe’s Tilapia
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tilapia is a good choice in the frozen section if you are looking for a firm frozen fish on a budget.
The cons: Some Tilapia packages are sealed far better than others, so please make sure yours is as vacuum sealed as possible to ensure freshness. If you eat with your eyes, then perhaps you’ll want to split the filet in half to get rid of the dark line running down the middle.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Dover Sole
The pros: Trader Joe’s Dover Sole is an item I’ve only noticed a handful of times at Trader Joe’s, but it is one that is worth of reaching for especially if you like a delicate fish.
The cons: Can be hard to find at times or at least my Trader Joe’s did not carry it often.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Shrimp and Salmon Trio
The pros: Trader Joe’s Shrimp and Salmon Trio is a nice variety pack of appetizers.
The cons: This is a seasonal item.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Lobster Tails
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lobster Tails are new to the freezer section and are one of two frozen lobster options that are available for the holiday season.
The cons: Lobster isn’t cheap. This is less pricey than the other lobster option in the freezer aisle. These too are a seasonal item usually located next to Trader Joe’s Black Tiger Shrimp.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Black Tiger Shrimp
The pros: Trader Joe’s Black Tiger Shrimp are large shrimp that are only around for the holiday season.
The cons: This product might not be ideal for those where having six shrimp would not suffice. This is priced at almost $10 for half a pound. While some might complain about the price, these are very big shrimp.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Langostino Tails
The pros: Trader Joe’s Langostino Tails are frozen, precooked, and ready to be added to a dish where you might use shrimp or another seafood. This also requires less prep as they are already cooked.
The cons: I think too many people pass these buy because they don’t know what to do with them. That’s a shame because this is a good product. If you really, really like these then buy them at Costco because they’ll work out much cheaper.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Marinated White Fish Vera Cruz
The pros: Trader Joe’s Marinated White Fish Vera Cruz is an easy dinner that is reasonable in calorie count and easy on the palate.
The cons: Swai isn’t terribly flavorful.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Tartar Sauce
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tartar Sauce is thick and full of relish. You’ll need a knife or spoon to get this out the jar.
The cons: This can occasionally be difficult to find.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna
The pros: Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna is a tuna that is just ok in terms of flavor.
The cons: Other brands seemed better.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Argentinian Red Shrimp
The pros: Trader Joe’s Argentinian Red Shrimp are lobster like but far more tender.
The cons: Since these are “red” shrimp they already looked cooked, however they are not. These might be more challenging for some to figure out when they are done.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Saucy Scallops and Mushrooms
The pros: Trader Joe’s Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms is frozen but gives you well cooked scallops from the freezer.
The cons: This product contained far more peas than mushrooms. The cheese and seafood combination might not appeal to everyone’s tastebuds.
The verdict: …
