Trader Joe’s SHRIMP SEAFOOD BURGERS

06 May 2022 3 Comments

by promacnyc in Trader Joes


I am a pretty big fan of shrimp, so I thought I should check out Trader Joe’s frozen “SHRIMP SEAFOOD BURGERS” to see what they tasted like and write up a review.

TRADER JOES has this to say: “Trader Joe’s Shrimp Seafood Burgers are made of 70% farm-raised, Pacific White Shrimp and 23% wild-caught Pollock, held together with rice flour and sunflower oil. They are seasoned with garlic powder, dried basil, salt, and black pepper, which makes for juicy and delicious Seafood Burgers-whether you grill, bake, or pan fry them.”

In the box you find four frozen seafood burger pucks, individually wrapped. They are fairly small, weighing just a little over 3 oz each.

Ingredients: Shrimp, Pollack, Oil, Rice Flour, Salt, Garlic, Spices.

frozen, shrimp burger

COOKING

I did the PAN FRY method – I followed the directions on the package which states to cook them right from frozen (frankly this instruction about cooking from frozen without defrosting, something I see a lot on Trader Joe’s frozen items, kind of goes against everything I have learned about cooking over many years! ) However I did what they tell you to do and cooked from frozen.

I put four frozen pucks in a pan with some oil and butter and sautéed them for 4-5 minutes, until they turn opaque which indicates they’re done.

Once it was cooked and I tasted it I found the texture of the shrimp seafood burger to be slightly rubbery. If you ever cooked shrimp you probably know they can easily get rubbery if you cook overcook them. Maybe I should cook these a tiny bit less? Take these out the moment they change to opaque or even a 10-15 seconds before?

I tasted the cooked shrimp burgers alone first, then with some sauce, and in a pita sandwich with sauce. Taste-wise I found them to be just OK, certainly nothing special. Unfortunately I did not find great shrimp flavor. TJ’s states these seafood burgers are “70% shrimp, 23% pollock” plus rice flour and oil to hold them together. Alaskan pollock is a white fish which is blended in here.

After shrinkage from cooking they made a fairly small burger. About 3 ounces uncooked, I imagine they shrink to less after being cooked. If you just put one shrimp burger on a regular hamburger bun they will look small compared to the bun. Maybe try them cutting them in 1/2 and eat on a small Aloha type bun? Perhaps 1 and a half makes a better burger to bun ratio.

To serve I also sliced the cooked seafood burgers up and served them on top of a bed of grains. I added a sauce I made mixing up some Greek Yogurt and Zhoug sauce

TJ’s Shrimp Seafood Burgers sliced, served on top of a bed of grains with Zhoug / Yogurt sauce

Certainly some type of sauce with these will help these. Plan to add some kind of sauce*.

A package (12.8 oz) is $6.99. So while I’d say there were not bad, I found them just OK, again nothing special and I didn’t think these stood out enough as being a “shrimp burger”. These are not 100% Shrimp. There is 23% Pollack in there. Unlike the Salmon Burgers which I found a bit tastier, in that you absolutely know its salmon when you taste it. Frankly I would rather have just grilled shrimp in front of me or even on a bun in a “Shrimp Roll” (the poor man’s lobster roll).

Still I see quite a few people on the internet think these TJ Seafood Burgers are good. So feel free to check them out and make up your own mind.

Personally if I want a real shrimp burger, I would make a REAL 100% shrimp burger, made with chopped shrimp, egg (or mayo) and bread crumbs as a binder, Southern-style. It’s not very hard, it might take 5 minutes of work and probably might cost about the same or a little more but with a way better result and taste way more shrimpy! Also using TJ’s wild frozen RED SHRIMP, they would probably taste great.

SAUCE RECIPE : *I found these tasted good with ZHOUG/GREEK YOGURT sauce (mix 1/2 and 1/2 of each)

These are a Product of Vietnam which farms a lot of shrimp.

Here’s a real Shrimp Roll, made from TJ’s Argentinian Red Shrimp plus mayonnaise in a brioche bun. AKA the poor mans lobster roll. Yummy.

Seen at Trader Joe’s: STRAWBERRY PLANTS for sale!

05 May 2022 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Home Goods, New, News, Prices, Products, Rave, Trader Joes, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , ,


Grow your own strawberries? This is pretty cool.

Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled PRETZEL NUGGETS

03 May 2022 3 Comments

by promacnyc in Pantry, Prices, Rave, snacks, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , ,


Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Pretzel Nuggets are a classic, hugely popular snack item. Bags of these are said to fly out of the stores every day. Not only are they a hit with customers, they are also a hit with the staff and always a STAFF PICK item and are on TJ’s employees own top ten lists. Why? Well, they are just really that good for what they are. Short pretzels with a bit of salt that have a bit of peanut butter inside them. They’re kind of addictive, once you start eating them it’s hard to stop. Well at least it’s hard for me. Sure I know these may not be not the healthiest snack you could pick but every once in a while you just want something like this to munch on (TJ’s also carries a version without salt). If you can put 10 in front of you and that’s it they’re only 150 calories. Very good value as well. These sell for $2.49 a hefty 1 lb bag. There is also a GLUTEN FREE version of the I believe.

TJ’s says:

“…each real-peanut-butter-filled pretzel nugget is coated with coarse salt, and delivers crunchy and creamy and salty. They’re great party nibbles with cocktails or beer, juice or even sparkling water, and they make satisfying snacks for lunchboxes or after-school.”

NEWS!! PET OWNERS: Trader Joe’s is DISCONTINUING ALL CANNED CAT & DOG FOOD!

01 May 2022 4 Comments

by promacnyc in pet, pets, Rant Tags:


RANT

“Dear Customers: Due to sourcing issues, we are discontinuing all of our canned cat and dog food. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

april 2022

Argh$#^!!!!

Boy, this news really really sucks for all of us cat and dog owners who have been buying canned dog and cat food for years and years at Trader Joe’s. In a few weeks or whenever they run out of existing stock, TJ’s won’t have canned pet food! Therefore you might want to stock up asap while supplies last. I have bought a number of cans of cat food while they last.

The issue?! Trader Joe’s sourcing problem reflects the whole pet food industry now.

https://funkstownvet.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-pet-food-shortage/

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/announcements?category=customer-updates&id=1165614645

So I get there’s a pet food sourcing problem now, but why doesn’t TJ’s not just give up on finding a another source? Anyone want to start a petition? – start a petition on change.org

“To Our Valued Customers:

We understand that maintaining a consistent food routine is of the utmost importance for our pets. Due to inconsistent availability and ongoing sourcing issues, we are in the process of discontinuing and selling through all remaining inventory of the following products:

  • Ocean Fish, Salmon & Rice Dinner Premium Cat Food
  • Turkey & Giblets Dinner Premium Cat Food
  • Grain Free Salmon Recipe Cat Food
  • Grain Free Turkey Recipe Cat Food
  • Grain Free Beef Recipe Dog Food
  • Grain Free Chicken Recipe Dog Food

Given the time and care involved in introducing our furry, four-legged friends to new foods, we hope this notice enables you to prepare for the transition accordingly. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN/ DIY PET FOOD. You can make your own pet food; I make my own wet cat food and have done this for years. It can be as simple as tossing 3-4 chicken legs in a pot with a carrot, a potato and a some whole grains (brown rice). Add enough water so an inch or two covers everything. Simmer covered on low heat for 2-3 hours until the meat falls off the bones. Add an egg or two and stir. Let cool a bit. Remove bones. Remove meat and chop up (including fat and cartilege), or use a potato masher. Get it to consistency of what pet food looks like. I let it cool then put in saved used TJ yogurt containers. Freeze and take out as needed. Pets should eat some commercial food too which has some needed nutrients (like taurine). I mix my wet food with some dry cat food too which it seems that Trader Joe’s will still (hopefully) continue to carry. They only mentioned dropping canned food. I still see Bench and Field Cat Food (and Dog Food) on the shelves and they are just a reseller of this product so hopefully it will remain stocked.

UPDATE June 2022 : 2 months later, I still see small pricier cans of the $1.19 cat food left in stock.

Trader Joe’s PINEAPPLE SALSA

29 Apr 2022 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, condiments, jar, Mexican, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , ,


Trader Joe’s PINEAPPLE SALSA

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I did like it when I tasted it and how good this salsa really was. I think the name put me off. Actually it’s quite good and I think if most people try this, they will like it too. Even though pineapple is in the name and is listed as the second ingredient on the list of ingredients, it doesn’t stand out and taste “pineapple-y” or overly sweet; it is completely blended into the other flavors. It does have a hint of sweetness but it tastes like salsa, not pineapples. I have a feeling this is salsa that even people who don’t like salsa will like! You know the “I don’t like salsa; its too spicy for me” type. As you can see from the “heat scale” on the label this is a fairly mild salsa with only a small amount of spiciness. Now as pork and pineapple are a famous match (eg, tacos al pastor) I would try TJ’s Pineapple Salsa on top of some Carnitas tacos. It would be great also on nachos, rice, shrimp, salmon, eggs, or anything you can think of. You could brush this on at the end of grilling / broiling chicken and it would great. A 12 oz jar is $1.99, so at under two dollars this is one of the cheaper salsas on offer at Trader Joe’s. I would gladly buy this again. Ingredients: Tomato, Pineapple, Onion, Green Pepper, Vinegar, Cane Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Jalapeno, Cilantro, Red Pepper

Trader Joe’s High-Oleic ORGANIC SUNFLOWER OIL

27 Apr 2022 12 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, Asian, DIY, General, organic, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


Trader Joe’s High-Oleic Organic Sunflower Oil

I use a good deal of olive oil for cooking. However there are times when you want, or a recipe specifies, using a “neutral flavored oil”. Meaning not olive oil which has distinct flavors.

In that case I will probably use this oil: TJ’s Organic Sunflower Oil. It’s a good neutral oil, obviously made from sunflower seeds, and Organic to boot.

This oil is a fine all-around oil and basically if I’m not using olive oil for something I’m probably using this one. For example it’s what I would use if I am making a Chinese or Asian dish. Chinese cooking usually specifies a “neutral” vegetable oil that won’t affect other flavors in the dish. Plus Sunflower Oil is good for high heat, and good for Wok cooking. I had to look up “high-oleic”. That this sunflower oil is High Oleic means its quite healthy too, maybe even more than olive oil.

TJ’s Organic Sunflower Oil is pretty reasonable at $3.99 for a 33.8 oz bottle, far less than olive oil. So you probably want this as your “other” oil, like me. I would buy this again.

UPDATE_1 (Jun. 2022) Seems to be M.I.A. Possibly either a supply chain issue and hopefully not discontinued. Update_2: It came back in stock and was available for awhile. Update_3: (Jan 2025) I looked for it for last two months. MIA again.

NEWS! Trader Joe’s TRADITIONAL CARNITAS Mexican Style Oven Roasted Pork (is now M.I.A)

23 Apr 2022 15 Comments

by promacnyc in fresh, Mexican, News, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


UPDATE (AUG 2025) After a report from a reader about this being discontinued, I investigated with the Trader Joe’s front desk. They looked it up and said it’s “not available”, and looked more and said the Info page for it, said the company who was their supplier went out of business. So their order page for the product says “Not Orderable”. She said the page says Trader Joe’s is looking for a new supplier. Hopefully they will find one. But unfortunately for the time being we can’t buy this anymore at Trader Joe’s. I will update again if more news on this.

Trader Joe’s sells packages of “CARNITAS” (Mexican style oven roasted pork) in the fresh meats section. Frankly you make look at this in the package and it may not look look very appealing to you but trust me, buy this! This is not just good, TJ’s Carnitas are delicious. This is a fantastic product. Its tender, slow roasted pork with a falling apart, melt in your mouth, delicious porky goodness. Carnitas (lit. translations is “little meats”) are a traditional Mexican preparation & cooking method with pork typically cooked in its own fat in enormous copper pots by special Carnitas masters, slowly stirring it for hour with long handle wooden paddles. Cooking carnitas is an art. You can’t even really make carnitas at home. When done the pork is so tender and juicy it is almost falling apart. Typically the cooked carnitas meat is chopped up for tacos or other dishes. “Trader José’s” version of carnitas can be used to make excellent tacos. Now even though it’s fully cooked, it will be far tastier if you brown it and I strongly recommend you do. Its worth the little extra effort and your tacos will be far tastier. Please do not microwave it – despite the fact they say you can on the package. Just toss it in a pan. I cut up the big piece of meat into a few pieces and cooked it on low-med heat for about 10-20 minutes turning the pieces every 5 minutes till all sides are seared, golden brown and delicious. Some interior fat in the meat will melt doing this too. The carnitas may even start to fall apart as you turn it, that’s fine (and an indication of how tender it is). When its all done, take out the meat, rest it a minute or two and then either chop it up into bite size piece or what I like to do is: shred it up using two forks. You can use the carnitas as a filling for tacos or quesadillas with your desired accompaniments. Personally I like traditional Corn Tortillas but use any tortilla you like. Now besides using this for tacos, this tasty roasted pork can be used for other things too of course. So for example this pork is great used for Chinese cooking. No really! I make pork fried rice using the pork cut into bite size pieces instead of Cha Siu and it’s super yummy. How about Ramen? Sure. Cut into slices, grill them a bit and use these as the Ramen topping like the traditional slices of Cha Siu. Italian? Chop up the meat for a super easy tasty meat sauce, which you add to tomato or marinara sauce – voila, an instant “Ragu” or meat sauce for pasta or gnocchi. You can even just serve this delicious pork on its own with some lime or salsa or as a topping for a salad. Or make a Cuban Sandwich with this, ham and some Swiss! Trust me, you will find this TJ Carnitas useful to use for many things. The 12 oz. package of TRADITIONAL CARNITAS goes for $6. I would buy this again

I’ve actually come up with a great hack using the Carnitas to make it into a really tasty easy Chinese Roasted Pork (CHA SIU)

BTW – TJ’s PINEAPPLE SALSA goes very well with this pork carnitas for tacos etc.

Trader Joe’s NEW ZEALAND GRASS FED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE

21 Apr 2022 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, cheese, dairy, fresh, General, News, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , ,


This is a Trader Joe’s STAFF PICK favorite and I completely agree. TJ’s New Zealand Grass Fed Cheddar is an excellent cheese, a sharp cheddar aged from 6-12 months. This cheese is one of my favorite cheeses that TJ’s carries, and I buy this almost every time I go to Trader Joe’s as it goes rather quickly in our house. This cheddar has just the right amount of tang if you are a fan of a sharp cheddar, good for both adults and kids. The other standout cheddars at TJ’s are the CABOT VERMONT EXTRA SHARP and of course UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR. You can not go wrong with any of these cheddar cheeses but I do like the fact that this New Zealand cheese is “grass fed” meaning from milk from those contended Kiwi cows munching away on grass if they anything like the ones in this picture! This cheese is great by itself, on a cracker, in a sandwich, with fruit, and it’s superb melted. Grilled cheese sandwich, omelets, in a pizza, tacos… it’s especially fantastic melted. You can just give me a Granny Smith apple, a hunk of this cheese and a knife and I will be almost as contented as one of the Kiwi cows.

Update: It used to be 5.99 / lb but unfortunately the price has gone up 50 cents to $6.49 / lb (April 2022)

Trader Joe’s EGGPLANT GARLIC SPREAD

20 Apr 2022 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Italian, Pantry, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


“A traditional Bulgarian recipe that pairs well with pita or flatbread. Use as a dip or as a spread on sandwiches, toast or crackers”.

Ingredients: Eggplant, red peppers, water, sunflower oil, tomato paste, sugar, sea salt, dried garlic….

This spread, which is made in Bulgaria, is absolutely delicious. I tried this (vegetarian) spread as a dip served with some warm flatbread – a combo made in heaven. I can easily see this used in other ways besides being just a dip or spread. You could serve this on top, or on the side of say grilled chicken or fish. Or pasta. Add a few spoons to your pasta dish (or gnocchi or polenta) along with lots of garlic and olive oil. Inside an omelet? Sure. Now as yummy as it is, personally I would like more garlic. I have a feeling if your (Bulgarian) grandma made this spread it might actually have enough garlic in it to kill vampires. My late Jewish grandma (Romanian by birth) made a delicious roasted eggplant spread that had a ton – and I mean a ton – of garlic in it and it was fantastic. So just to see if more garlic would be a good addition with this spread, I mashed up a few cloves of garlic, mixed it in and let it sit for an hour to develop. OMG, it was now even better, if you love garlic of course. So I suggest doing this and adding a slug of good olive oil too. If you do this, the spread tastes homemade! However even just out of the jar, this spread is delicious, kind of an “Eggplant Caviar”. This spread is something I can easily see putting out for guests who suddenly showed up, along with some crackers, which would take all of 2 minutes of work, and would look impressive and have them asking you “yum, this dip is delicious; did you make it?”. If you put a few cloves of garlic in it, I would tell them with a straight face, yes I did. Its $2.69 for a 12 oz jar. Serve with warm pita or naan, or flatbread or toast or crackers…..

I would buy this again.

Trader Joe’s 10-minute FARRO (whole grain wheat)

20 Apr 2022 3 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, General, New, News, organic, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


Trader Joe’s 10-Minute Farro, review

What is FARRO ? Farro is an ancient grain, a type of wheat, known for its nutty flavor and chewy texture, and is a versatile ingredient used in various dishes like soups, salads, and risotto

The Italian word farro can mean “ancient grain” and refer to a few older varieties of our modern day wheat such as, emmer, spelt and einkorn wheat, all of which are forerunner grains of our modern wheat. TJ’s Farro is a tasty and healthy whole grain. High fiber, high protein.

FARRO is a good whole grain which is quite nutritious. FARRO a good source of protein, fiber and has lots of nutrients. Its a healthier alternative to some refined grains for example, white rice (and don’t get me wrong I like and eat white rice). Farro has even gotten a bit trendy in the food world. Maybe you’ve seen farro served as a side dish at a fancy Italian or other kind of restaurant. It’s tasty.

It has a nutty taste and slightly chewy texture. It’s delicious on its own with just some butter, salt and pepper. You can cook it in water, with a pinch of salt or cook it in some broth (veg, chicken or beef) which will of course make it even tastier. Farro is a good grain for using as a “bed” to put something on top of, or as a side dish. Just like you might use rice or orzo for example. Trader Joe’s 10 minute Farro cooks quickly. In 10-12ß minutes.

We like to make farro either as a side dish or part of the Main, say mixed with other veggies, sometimes as the base of a protein bowl. Whole grains like this normally take about 45-60 minutes to cook however TJ’s “10 Minute Farro” obviously cooks much faster. I am just guessing that it’s been parboiled to cut down on the cooking time. So it’s really convenient, and healthy and it’s not too expensive either. Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro sells for $1.79 1.99 for an 8.8 oz. bag

There is a good sounding recipe written on the Trader Joe’s bag for “Farro with Sausage & Apples” (using chicken sausage).

TJ’s farro is something I buy all the time, along with other grains they have. Farro is good to have in the pantry.

HOW TO COOK FARRO: I suggest the “SIMMER” method described on the bag. Use 1/2 cup Farro and 2/3 cup water or broth or combo. Put that in a pot. You can add a little butter and maybe salt depending if you used water or broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for about 10-12 minutes. Turn it off and let it stand 5 minutes before serving. Pretty easy!

You can mix cooked farro with cooked brown rice to come up with your own version of something like TJ’s famous (or maybe infamous) “Brown Rice Medley” (which TJ’s Discontinued much to the outrage of many people who read this blog!)

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