I liked this Liquid Dish Soap that TJ sells under their own brand.
This is the LAVENDER TEA TREE SCENT version. They also sell a Citrus scent version. It’s clear, meaning no dyes. Is Dawn blue naturally? I think not.
I imagine this stuff is probably comparable to one of those crazy expensive dish soaps you see in Whole Foods that I will never let my wife buy (“Seven dollars for dish soap?! You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t worry I’ll pick some up at the dollar store next time I go. “) And yes I do frequently buy the huge bottles of dish washing liquid at the dollar store. 40 ounces for a buck. Now I do recognize they are more “watery” and I have to put more on the sponge more often but its just going down the drain anyway, quite literally.
Anyway to make my honey happy, I “splurged” and got a bottle of TJ’s Dish Soap It’s $2.99. You can tell instantly this is thicker than my $1 soap. Turn it upside down and see how fast it takes a bubble to rise. I tried it out washing up and this does a good job, it made a lot of foam that lasted. It smells quite nice (lavender and tea tree oil). I can tell I don’t have to use as much soap as often as I do with my Dollar Store stuff. I’m sure its really some famous brand sold under TJ’s label at half the price the name brand usually costs, as is typical with some Trader Joe’s products. A big thing on the internet is guessing who really makes a product TJ sells (for example Annie’s Mac and Cheese vs. TJ Mac and Cheese) Anyway for $2.99 I will probably now buy this soap from now on. OK perhaps in addition to having one of the big bottles of the cheap stuff under the sink just in case we run out. Old habits die hard.
LAVENDER TEA TREE SCENT – made from plant derived cleaners Biodegradable. Hypoallergenic. Cuts Through Grease.
“Trader Joe’s Argentinian Red Shrimp are caught off the southern coast of Argentina. They have a sweet lobster like flavor and texture. Grill, barbecue or sauté. Serve with pasta, on salads or as an entrée…” (Wild, Raw, Peeled, Cleaned and Deveined Frozen Shrimp)
WILD CAUGHT, PRODUCT OF ARGENTINA
Ingredients: shrimp, salt
FYI – Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, but in reality only a tiny fraction comes from domestic U.S. sources. Ninety percent of the shrimp we eat is Imported, and almost all of that comes from shrimp farms in Southeast Asia and Central America.
If you’re looking to buy shrimp at Trader Joe’s I would check out their wonderful Wild Argentinian Red Shrimp. These are the best shrimp Trader Joe’s sells. In fact these are some of the best shrimp out there, period. These Patagonian Red Shrimp are from Argentina. First off, these are Wild Caught, not farmed, shrimps. Wild shrimp are said to have better flavor than farmed, plus be better for the environment.They’re large, meaty and actually do have a sweet lobster-like texture and taste. Some people think of these shrimp as “poor man’s lobster”.
Patagonian Red Shrimp, are fished from the icy waters off Argentina’s coast in Patagonia. They are individually flash frozen, cleaned (and deveined) and ready to use. They’re a quite decent size (20/25 count aka “Large”).
Are these truly “the sweetest shrimp in the world”? … well even if some marketer came up with that, they actually do taste kind of sweet and have what many people think of as a “lobster-y” texture as well as taste.
How To Use These Shrimp: You use these red shrimp the same as any other. Be careful NOT to overcook them of course. If I’m not using the whole bag I just take out as many shrimp as I need , and close the package up super tight with a twisty, and double bag the package inside a Ziplock freezer bag (double bagging these will help keep out freezer burn).
So first things first, what are the best defrosting method(s) for these frozen shrimp?
DEFROSTING : The best method to defrost them is the traditional overnight thaw in the fridge in a covered glass bowl. Thats the best way. Still if you didn’t plan ahead to do that, the next best option is to put them in a plastic baggie, and run a light stream of cold running water over the bag (you can weigh down bag with a cup or plate). The shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 minutes or so. This last method works OK too in a pinch: I’ve simply put the frozen shrimp in a bowl, covered them with an inch of cold water, and stirred them every 5 minutes or so. Defrosting this way should take maybe 15-20 mins. Cooking from frozen: No way, I would not recommend doing that. They will shrink up a lot and be tough. Microwave also a no-no, you will ruin the texture of the shrimp.
Cooking: Cook these red shrimp the same way as any shrimp. However these do seem to cook a wee bit faster so be careful not to overcook them. If you are say using a sauce, you can simmer the (defrosted) shrimp slowly in the sauce at the very end, cooking them in the sauce for maybe 2 minutes or so (turning them over once). As soon as they are no longer translucent and look firm these are cooked, and/or at least should be removed and then added back to your dish at the end. Not over cooking will keep them plumper and juicier. When you overcook shrimp they become chewier and shrink up.
TIP: If grilling them, you can marinate them for 15 min in lots of TJ’s CUBAN SPICE BLEND. Or any spices of your choosing. Ajika blend also is terrific as is TJ’s spicy Peri-Peri Sauce. Another great spice for these? TJ”s new blend HOT & SMOKY PAPRIKA
These shrimp are terrific simply sautéed in olive oil with lots of garlic, scampi style. You can blot them with a paper towel, optionally sprinkle them with a little seasoned flour and sauté them in oil and butter. One trick I saw on MilkStreet recently was to pan fry shrimp on one side only, then take them out of the pan and later finish them in your dish for 30 seconds at the end. This is a great idea, as you won’t overcook them.
These shrimp are of course great grilled / sautéed and excellent in a pasta dish. You can put them on a skewer and broil or grill them (brush with oil). They are equally great gently poached, about 3 minutes, which is a good way to make them for cold cooked shrimp or for the top of a salad.
If you try these shrimp you will probably like them as much as we do. I find them super convenient to have in the freezer. TJ’s sells the Wild Argentinian Red Shrimp (1 lb. bag) for $9.99
*UPDATE-1 (Feb 2021) price increase to $10.99. UPDATE-2 (Apr 2022) price up again, now 11.99
On this site not only do these get top ratings, they are called the “lobster impersonator”
More cooking ideas follow.
(shrimp, broccoli, rice cakes)
Dishes: I made a nice Thai Shrimp Curry with the shrimp, veggies and TJ’s Thai Red Curry sauce – adding the shrimp the last 2 minutes (a no-recipe recipe follows below).
THAI STYLE SHRIMP CURRY – Sauté some onions, garlic, and chopped ginger in oil for 4-5 minutes. Throw in chopped up carrots, celery, potatoes (optional add ins: mushrooms, peas, sweet potatoes, scallions) …sauté everything for 5 more minutes, then add 1/4-1/2 cup liquid (water or broth (Option: Add a 1/2 cup Coconut Milk for the liquid)) Simmer for 10 minutes, then add in a jar of TJ Thai Red Curry sauce and simmer another 10 minutes or until all the veggies are just tender. The last 2 minutes of cooking, you add your shrimp and simmer gently in the sauce, stirring occasionally. Serve the curry with jasmine rice and add chopped scallions on top.
Here’s one more: As these shrimp are kind of “lobster-y” they are perfect to make a New England style Shrimp Roll (aka the Poor Man’s Lobster Roll). Gently poach the shrimp 90 seconds or so just until opaque and pink (don’t over cook them). Rinse them under cold water. Split or cut them up and mix with a little mayo and lemon juice, then put them in a lightly toasted buttered Brioche bread or Brioche Bun (spread with a little mayo). If you have Old Bay seasoning, use a bit of that, or dill seasoning on top. Easy and delicious.
Shrimp Roll on Brioche Bun (aka The Poor Man’s Lobster Roll)
(NB: TJ’s recipe here says cook the shrimp for 5-10 mins; I suggest thats too long unless you want overcooked shrimp. I say cook these shrimp about 2-3 minutes)
Ramen? Yes. I used the shrimp in (“Roy Choi style”) instant ramen with a slice of cheese and butter.. (crazy but it works, see video below). For this dish which was a dinner, I made a veggie stock instead of using the included packet of seasoning* and added some fresh mushrooms. I added the defrosted shrimp at the very end of cooking, and only cooked them about a minute or two. See they look juicy (not overcooked)? TIP: That little flavor packet included with instant ramen is just loaded with Sodium (like 50-70% of daily recommended level)? Bad for you, so better to use your own stock or a low sodium stock and maybe just add a pinch of the flavor packet. Worst case, use only half the packet and if it tastes too flat, add something to flavor it up without adding much sodium (a dash of low sodium soy sauce or a few drops of Nam Pla (fish sauce).
Trader Joe’s sells two versions of EDAMAME (Soy Beans). One kind is unshelled, still in the pod, and these, unshelled ones.
Both kinds are excellent, really tasty and are super healthy legumes. You probably should add edamame to your diet if they are not already on it. Soy beans are a super food.
Maybe you first encountered these first (in the shell) in a Japanese restaurant? A waiter put a bowl of kind of weird looking fuzzy green pods on the table? Someone told you to nibble on them and to suck the beans out of the pods. Served this way edamame are typical “bar snacks” you would find in a restaurant or Izakaya (pub).
Soybeans and all legumes are good to have in one’s diet. As well as very being quite DELICIOUS. They have a taste a bit like peas but are a little nuttier and earthier. I like them in both versions, in the shell and these out of the shell, so I usually buy a bag of both to have in the freezer. As a quick side dish you can’t go wrong with Edamame with a pinch of salt and some butter. Yummy! TJ’s frozen Shelled Edamame are very convenient. These have been cooked, so just need warming up.
Useful as a side dish, the way you would serve frozen peas, or for adding to a dish, such as a rice dish*, again exactly as one might add green peas, which I frequently do.
When I add edamame, say to rice in the last 3 minutes, I don’t cook them first as the bag suggests (they are already cooked in fact). I just put them in a colander, rinse them till they don’t look frozen and then toss them in the pot of rice (or whatever) for maybe 3-4 minutes. Or use them, as an addition to your favorite recipe.
Soy Beans contain Lots of protein (9 gr in a half a cup!), plus lots of fiber, vitamins and basically everything that is Soy Good for you. Maybe one of the healthiest things you can eat. A 12 oz. bag of the shelled version is $1.99 which is less than in a Asian specialty store where you normally find these goodies. And about $1.69 (1 lb) in the shell, which are of course great to serve people to nibble on and suck out of the shells in the traditional style. Maybe the kids would like those, as they are very hands on, play with your food.
Trader Joe’s as you know carries a whole bunch of condiments and sauces, many being outstanding. It has quite a few hot sauces, most of which are VERY good. TJ’s Green Dragon Hot Sauce is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s items, along with Bomba and Peri-Peri and of course ZHOUG).
Now I would easily say Trader Joe’s GREEN DRAGON is a fantastic hot sauce and if you Google it, you’ll find it has many, many fans. GREEN DRAGON has far more fans than the TJ’s Sriracha (which while not bad is nowhere the equal of the original classic Huy Fong Sriracha {red rooster label) IMHO.
Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Hot Sauce‘s ingredients include: jalapeño, tomatillo, garlic, cilantro,vinegar, garlic, lime juice and habanero. It is spicy of course but not blow the roof of your mouth off spicy. This stuff has a lot of lovely flavors going on, it’s not simply “hot”. With the above ingredients naturally Green Dragon can be viewed as a type of classic Mexican/South American style salsa. But it works with all kinds of cuisines and foods in particular I find Asian or Asian style food. When I’m making many Chinese or other Asian dishes I tend to use Green Dragon a good deal. Its very floral as it is made from fresh green chiles, herbs and aromatics. Used judiciously this sauce adds flavor to all kinds of dishes with a hint of spiciness. A few drops can go a long way in the flavor department, so you can use it a bit sparingly (unless you love heat, in which case use more of course!) For example a splash of this when you are making eggs, either in scrambled eggs, or on top of fried eggs… It’s great with egg dishes. I even put a few drops on something “boring” like cottage cheese (no really, try this combo on a toasted bagel – or on crackers which I have above) Cottage cheese with some GDS is boring no more. Toast up a bagel, top with cottage cheese, dot with Green Dragon; Thats one yummy breakfast. AVOCADO TOAST? YES! See below for a mini-recipe.
I just put some GDS in a lentil soup I had made and found it was perfect for that too, it added just that little bit of something extra that the soup needed. It is easy and fun to experiment with Green Dragon. Once you start trying it on different things, you will also discover, “umm, that works with this too”. Green Dragon sauce is one of my “always got to have in the fridge” TJ items! I never am without it and I keeps one in the pantry too, as I never want to come up empty. It’s a steal for $3.29 a bottle (18 ounces). In another Gourmet type store, something like this would be six bucks no doubt.
Avocado Toast: mash a ripe avocado up with salt, pepper, a splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice then add Green Dragon to taste. Spread the avocado mixture on lightly buttered sourdough toast, a sliced brioche, a bagel, or any of your favorite toast. This is really yummy. Side note – add some into your guacamole, of course that’s also a fantastic match).
If you love sauerkraut, as I do, then you may find this Trader Joe’s sauerkraut is among the best you ever had. It’s great.
Trader Joe’s even says if you are not a fan of the stuff, this may change your mind about SAUERKRAUT. Now that’s confidence in your product, huh?! Unlike commercially made mass-produced sauerkraut which is cooked, this one is a raw,fermentedfood product which doesn’t even have vinegar. TJ’s says its made by a small batch producer in the traditional way, which is simply cabbage treated with salt and left to ferment. Old School. The real McCoy. “This is Sauerkraut like your great grandma used to make.”
It has some Persian cucumbers (pickles) in it as well which add even more more crunch and variety. This Sauerkraut goes perfectly with hot dogs of course, as well as sausages. This kraut would go especially with TJ’s excellent German made BAVARIAN BRATWURST previously reviewed, with a Rave. As we know now, fermented foods are very good for your digestive system, gut health and overall health in general. It’s considered healthy to eat something fermented on a regular or daily basis. A spoonful of this (or kimchi or kefir) every day and your gut bacteria will be aces.
Trader Joe’s Sauerkraut with Persian cucumbers is $3.99 for a 14 oz. container.
Ingredients:, Cabbage, Persian Cucumbers, Salt, Garlic.
Sauerkraut is great with these Cheddar Chicken Sausages
Super easy, organic Cole Slaw Kit. Just dump the contents into a bowl, fish out the packet of dressing and mix everything up together. That’s it, you’re done. Now, when making a slaw its best made about an hour in advance (and keep in the fridge, to keep crisp). Everything will become all nice and cole-slaw-y when the cabbage has “pickled” a bit and the flavors meld together. You could let it rest more, say 4 hours or even make it the night before. Slaws change over time. From crispy to mellowed.
The package contains shredded green and red cabbage and carrots, all organic. The organic dressing is a tangy, slightly sweet & sour dressing in the mayonnaise/ thousand island vein with lots of poppy seeds which add a nice flavor. Everything blends up well to make a nice, tasty fresh “homemade” cole slaw. Could you make this yourself easily with some cabbage, some carrots a hand shredder and some dressing? Of course, and I do many times during the summer especially, but if you don’t feel like doing “all that work” this kit makes it super easy. It doesn’t make a huge amount of cole slaw, about a pint of finished slaw after you let it sit for at least an hour when it will “shrink up” a bit as it marinates. A package is 10 oz and costs $2.69
Oh wow, this is some wonderful tasting ham with an amazing flavor, aroma (rosemary) and an amazing texture. I find this to be a superb, out-of-the ordinary sliced ham. It doesn’t say exactly where its produced so I imagine in the U.S. but to me somehow its has an Imported taste and quality. The back of my mind says “Italy” but they would state that I would assume on the package. No matter, if this is made right here in the US I’m pleased to know WE can produce this quality too here at home! This is what I would call really good “adult ham”. Its not too salty nor sweet, it has just the right balance of both salinity and sweetness. Oven roasted with rosemary. ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS. MINIMALLY PROCESSED. No Nitrates, Nitrites, its cured with all natural, real ingredients on the label that you can recognize without a dictionary, such as : Sea salt, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar cane, and of course rosemary. You get a pronounced aroma of rosemary as soon as you open the package but the rosemary flavor does not overpower the flavor of the ham, it enhances it perfectly with a lovely rosemary coating you can see on the edges. Sliced super thin, it has a super tender, fall apart melt in your mouth texture. Probably cooked for a long time, low and slow. Its so tender and comes apart so easily into shreds that if you don’t want to rip a slice as you remove it, you need to do it carefully.
I love this ham and find it to be a superb TJ product. It’s a little more expensive than the other ham I usually buy (Black Forest) at TJ ($3 for 8 oz). This one is $3.29 for a 6 oz. package, which is 6 slices. But for this quality, a bit less than $9/lb for a sliced ham this good, is not untoward and certainly worth trying. I would imagine if you are having guests and put this out on a plate rolled up into little bites with a toothpick….you would get a lot of “hey where do you get this ham ?”
Apparently this is one of Trader Joe’s most popular products, and not without reason. I know it’s one of my favorite TJ products, on my “gotta always have in fridge” list. As the name says, this is a delicious sweet chili sauce that is pretty much the same traditional Asian sweet and spicy chili sauce you will find at any Asian grocery. It’s both sweet and spicy but not crazy spicy, with a perfect balance of the two tastes plus garlic of course. This sauce is typically served with chicken in many Asian cuisines. I had been buying Chinese brands of this stuff for years whenever I went to a special Asian grocery or supermarket but now Trader Joe’s make a version of it so even more convenient, as we put this sauce on many things though its terrific with most any chicken. If you bought a store cooked rotisserie chicken for dinner, serving with this sauce will that roast chicken 10x as tasty. What else can you use it for. Really anything… Chicken sausages? Yes. Fish? Yes (in fact you can put some on top of almost finished broiled salmon and put it back for a minute for a sweet spicy glaze). Grilled pork. Sure! Eggs? Yes. Get it? Seriously I think there is little this would not be good on, except may ice cream.
Easy dipping sauce for dumplings: a 2 tablespoons of this sweet chili sauce, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a little rice vinegar. Fresh grated ginger if you have it. Easy. Some extra garlic wouldn’t hurt either. Now you have a sauce for all those pot sticker dumplings in the freezer. Dinner in 10 minutes.
A bottle used to sell for only $1.29. Last time I checked it went up to $1.49, not bad. I can’t live without this stuff.
I love chocolate covered espresso beans. The best ones that I’ve had are from Porto Rico imports, one of my favorite stores in New York City. I used to work a few blocks from Porto Rico and could pass by twice a week.The chocolate espresso beans they sell are two things for me. 1) Heaven. 2) Crack
If you love chocolate and love coffee they are too die for. They are $10 a pound but on occasion you catch them on sale for less.
So I saw these new product Coffee Lover Espresso Beans candies at Trader Joe’s and for just 99 cents (!) I said give ’em a try. Naturally not equal to Porto Rico’s masterpiece espresso bean candies which are their excellent freshly roasted espresso beans coated with dark chocolate.
These are “Not Bad”. The beans don’t have great flavor, they are not top quality at this price but they have some coffee/chocolate combo flavor. These are a bit on the too sweet for me. The brown ones in the package are OK. I was not crazy about the light color ones (cappuccino?). But still for under a buck, these are worth trying yourself to see what you think. Neither a rave or a rant, I’ll give these a “meh”.
If you are a fan of a traditional English orange marmalade then you will probably enjoy this as much as I did. Trader Joe’s SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE is a proper English marmalade. Yes the label states that it’s a “product of Canada” but let’s ponder that a moment. Since Canada was under English rule for some time, one of the remnants of that time the Brits must have passed on to Canadians was how to make marmalade. Because this jar of marmalade is delicious.
Made from Seville Oranges (Bitter Orange) which are de rigeur for proper marmalade. Its a thin-cut marmalade, having small bits of chopped peel with a good balance between the Seville orange peel, juice, pectin and sugar, and overall an good balance of the perfect combination of bitter and sweet you want. Let’s call this jam for the adults. Not sure if kids will like it, but if yours do, consider them to have an “elevated palate”. That could get expensive when they grow up.
From the label: Seville Oranges are the backbone of a proper orange marmalade. The bright high-acid juice and the thick rough skin are transformed when cooked, becoming intense, yet balanced: the perfect topper for toast or scones (well put Trader Joe’s)
AND ENGLISH MUFFINS (see pic)!
I ate this marmalade for breakfast this morning on a perfectly toasted TJ Classic English Muffin, along with a pat of good Irish Kerrygold butter and a nice dollop of this marmalade, along with my morning cappuccino. Very yummy and delicious and perfect together. All was right with the world, well at least till I finished my muffin. If you are a marmalade fan, this does the trick. A big jar, which is over 1 pound goes for $3.49, another Trader Joe’s great value.
UPDATE (May 2021) SIGN IN STORE SAID IT WAS DISCONTINUED !!! CURSE YOU TRADER JOE’S – the fans of this marmalade are ANGRY! Read the Comments!
OPTIONS: I saw found jars of the TJ one on Amazon for outrageous rip-off prices from “enterprising” folks who resell Trader Joe’s products for profit at severe markups: $60 a bottle?!! I don’t think so, folks.
A more reasonable option might be to try some English made brands (Tiptree or Wilkinson’s – or you can make your own Marmalade with this DIY one from Robertson’s “Ma Made” Seville Marmalade – you just add sugar and water, and maybe the juice of a lemon. One can will make tons of marmalade so put it up in jars…. (2 cans for $20 = $10/ea plus a bag of sugar) update; 2 for 20 was not bad however the price is now ridiculous ($36)
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