These are called Savory Mini Thin Rice Crackers and they’re really tasty and really good. I just love them. They are about the size of a quarter. They’re incredibly crunchy and are delicious as a snack by themselves as well as equally delicious used like any cracker. Spread something on them, some cheese or spread or peanut butter and jam. Top them with a slice of ham, cheese, or whatever you want. If you are someone who is Gluten Free (I’m not) these are primarily made from rice. Ingredients listed are : rice flour, sesame seeds, safflower oil, tamari soy sauce powder, maltodextrin, salt and garlic powder. These light colored ones are $3.49 a bag (8 oz). There’s another multiseed kind (with Tamari) that are darker that are also good and are $3.99.
According to the Nutrition facts label there are 130 calories in 38 crackers! So pretty Low Calorie as far as snacks go and not heavy in the Sodium department either. So I’d say this is a pretty healthy snack as far as crackers you can buy.
“Organic soybean oil, water, organic eggs, organic white vinegar, salt, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic mustard seeds….”
Trader Joe’s used to carry both a regular (non-organic) mayo and an organic version. At some point they discontinued the non-organic version and now carry just this “Organic Mayonnaise.”
I used to buy the regular one, which came in a big 32 oz jar, double this one. Both are very good. I remember the non-organic 32 oz mayo went for $2.99.
This 16 oz organic mayonnaise is $3.49, or more than double the price. Oh well! A remember asking the Captain at the Front Desk what happened to the non-organic mayo, and he said he thought Trader Joe’s seems to be gearing towards selling only Organic if possible. They were slowly discontinuing non-organic versions of some products (for instance my beloved tomato paste in a tube. Gone!). He said he thought TJ’s plan was to only carry Organic Products in the future. Which to me sounds kind of like Whole Foods…
Honestly I thought the regular mayo was fine and half the price of this organic mayo. I was unhappy they just Discontinued it and gave customers less choice. Sure I like Organic stuff but I like options too. Don’t get me wrong, this organic version is very good and of course I’ve switched to it, unless I see Hellman’s on sale somewhere (that too has gone way up)
Commercially made mayonnaise like this one is good and fine, however if you never tasted “real French mayonnaise” — the kind you make fresh — you are missing out. You should try to make it at last once. Watch this video below to get ideas how to make your own real French mayonnaise from scratch.
Seriously this is the real McCoy. A real fresh mayo is so good you won’t believe it. Mayo is not hard to make. It will only take you maybe 5-10 minutes . You could impress some guests! Compare this to any mayonnaise you have probably had, the best commercial brand and you will not believe the difference. All you need is vegetable oil, an egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, beaten together… its actually easy and fun and kind of magical when it all emulsifies. Ah food science!
I liked this granola. Its a bit different from TJ’s regular oat based granolas – which by the way are gluten free if made from oats!)
This Loaded Fruit and Nut Gluten Free Granola is made with corn for one thing, in the shape of some thick corn flake things…they are round cup shapes that are kind of a very thick and crunchy “corn flakes” TJ says they’re “super crunchy, lightly sweetened, corn-based, cup-shaped, circular flakes”.
It also has some rice based small round things that may remind you of Rice Crispies but much better of course. It has just enough fruit and nuts to justify the name “loaded”. I still usually toss in a few dried cranberries. This gluten free granola is super crunchy. It holds up very well to milk, and it matches great with yogurt. I like this as nice super crunchy topping on my morning yogurt & fruit. “Enjoy it as a snack right out of the bag”
Yes do I like this stuff by itself as a snack, again super crunchy. TIP: I usually turn the bag a few times and shake it to distribute all the things before pouring some out. TJ’s GLUTEN FREE GRANOLA is $3.99 for a 12 oz bag. It contains among other things, almonds, coconut, hazel nuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, raisins, cranberries, coconut….
I would buy it again.
Gluten Free? Sure, but most all granola is made with oats which are of course Gluten Free.
These cans of “stuffed vine leaves” (grape leaves!) are a very good pantry item to have on hand as they can make a super fast and easy appetizer, lunch or dinner. Trader Joe’s calls these “vine leaves stuffed with rice”. The vines in question are grape vines so just to be clear these are grape leaves stuffed with rice. These little packages of stuffed leaves wrapped around the rice are called “dolmas” or “dolmades” which are a classic dish eaten all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Grape leaves are filled with a stuffing of rice and onions (sometimes lamb as well). The stuffed leaves are slowly simmered till they are plump and almost bursting. They are delicious. Dolmas are a perfect example of thrifty grape farmers figuring out how to use everything. They take the grape leaves – a waste product – and pickle them to make them tender. They use the leaves in recipes throughout the year. The first time I ate Dolmas were in a Greek restaurant near Boston University. I liked the stuffed grape leaves so much I even learned how to make them myself. The best way to cook them is in chicken stock with lots of olive oil and lemon slices. However Trader Joe’s VINE LEAVES are Vegan using only rice and onions and water. The Ingredients lists: cooked rice, water, grape leaves, soybean oil*, onions, dill, spearmint and black pepper. Obviously they use (tasteless) soybean oil which is cheaper than olive oil to save costs. Therefore you must pour good extra virgin Olive Oil over these, ditto squeeze on fresh lemon juice to make these taste like something. If you have fresh mint, dill or parsley these herbs will also gin them up flavor wise. They can make a very easy appetizer and/or serve them as part of a “Mezze” plate. A 10 oz can of TJ’s Dolmas are $2.99. They are a “Product of Bulgaria. There are other good canned items at Trader Joe’s too, like Giant Beans in tomato sauce. These are great items to have in the pantry.
If you’re curious how to make these I put a link with a recipe below. If you actually make these, I recommend cooking the dolmades in chicken broth if possible though you can use water or veg. broth. I had to learn to be gentle rolling up the leaves lest you rip them.
INGREDIENTS: All Natural Chicken, Sea Salt, Oregano, Basil, Vinegar Powder, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Parsley
These meatballs looked interesting enough to me to try out and review. They’re sold fresh in the refrigerated case in a vacuum pack.
They are fully cooked, ready to heat and eat. Made from “all natural, minimally processed chicken, no antibiotics”. These are Gluten Free, simply made from chicken with a few simple seasonings. Vacuum packed, they can easily keep at least a week or more in the fridge unopened. For longer storage just freeze them (to defrost I just leave them in the fridge overnight).
I’ve found with these meatballs to be very convenient for a super fast easy protein to use to come up with an quick easy meal. I find them pretty tasty if just the tiniest bit rubbery (if I compared to my own homemade chicken meatballs). I think they would be even better if they had a little bit of binder (bread crumbs eggs, veggies or the like). If you’ve ever made meatballs you know they will come out softer with a little bit of some kind of “binder” in them. Meatballs generally have bread crumbs, eggs, and milk.
I do suggest you be sure to brown them, as I think a little browning improves them. Therefore I suggest don’t just nuke these, cook and brown them up in a nonstick or seasoned pan with a little butter or oil.
I use the “Stove Top” method mentioned on the package, browning with some butter and/or olive oil. I sometime cut them in half, or quartered or sliced up as that increases the surface area for browning. If you want them whole that’s fine too just turn them to get all sides brown before serving. When they are golden brown, turn off the heat, toss a tablespoon of water or stock, or lemon juice in and cover the pan immediately to let them steam a bit which will soften them. A sprinkle of lemon juice perked them up nicely. Before cooking them I like to sprinkle them with either Smoked Paprika or AJIKA blend which helps browning even more, plus adds nice flavors.
These will be good with some sauce of your choosing… Sriracha Mayo or Garlic Dip mixed with lemon juice… Or even just some ketchup and/or mayo….Magnifique Sauce. Your favorite BBQ sauce. Sweet Chili sauce… Basically any sauce you like will work and improve these.
Here is a one way I’ve served them. Cut into halves, browned up and put on top of a bed of lentils that I had made a few days before. Another way was in a Wrap on a flour tortilla.
Grilled Chicken Meatballs on a bed of lentilsWRAP – Chicken meatballs sliced and grilled, and served on warm flour tortilla with avocado and Magnifique Sauce. Added lettuce then wrapped up.
These can easily become dinner along with some sides, say rice or potatoes, or pasta and a veggie. I think these might match well with any one of TJ’ssimmer sauces(Thai or Indian). You could brown them, add sauce, simmer a few minutes and serve. Maybe toss in some frozen green beans or peas in the sauce as well? Serve on top of rice or noodles or pasta. Or just with pita or Naan? What about making these Italian style? Brown and add your favorite jar of tomato sauce. Toss them with pasta and you have an easy dinner. Or maybe brown them, slice up, and put them into a pita with some lettuce and some sauce? Or just serve them sliced up on top of a salad? So you might find these a handy thing to have in your fridge. TJ’s Chicken Meatballs are $3.99 (12 oz, about 16 meatballs in the package). Figure maybe 4 per person/portion? 4 meatballs have 16 gr of protein with 150 calories!
Now on the other hand with just a little effort you can make your own chicken meatballs! No really, it’s pretty easy. While these are very convenient of course, your own homemade ones will be way better.
RECIPE – HOMEMADE CHICKEN MEATBALLS: Take a package of Trader Joe’s fresh ground chicken ($3.99 $4.49 a pound). Put in a bowl. Mix in one egg, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs or Panko… 1/4 tsp Salt & Pepper (Optional seasonings, even better with some chopped scallions, parsley, garlic, cilantro? Add a tablespoon of AJIJKA spice or Smoked Paprika. Mix ingredients thoroughly. Put in fridge for 1/2 hr to firm up. Form (using wet hands) into small meatballs. Flatten them for patties (more surface area to brown). Put into a nonstick pan with butter and/or olive oil. Sprinkle on Smoked Paprika. Cook 4 minutes per side, turning till browned. Deglaze pan with 1 tbl water, lemon juice, add butter and pour pan sauce over chicken.
(my Homemade grilled Asian style chicken patties with grilled rice)
Hooray – they were not Discontinued after all! These very addictive tortilla chips are back on the shelves at Trader Joe’s (NYC)! They were Missing In Action for months….Feared to have been Discontinued by Trader Joe’s but it seems this was not the case and just temporarily out of stock (though it was months). When I saw them last week my heart leapt with joy to learn these favorite TJ items of mine weren’t “disco’d”. I had read stuff on Reddit and elsewhere that they were Discontinued but these reports seems fortunately to have been wrong, like other stuff you find on the ‘Net! So I’m just guessing it was due to some vendor side issue but its not always easy to know if items are really “discontinued” or TOS “temporarily out of stock”. One can ask the TJ’s captain at the front desk to look up and check on any item. This is what I do if I really want to know about an item. The front desk staff usually can tell you by checking on their computer if any item is just out of stock or has actually been officially discontinued (disco’d in Trader Joe’s lingo). If you never tried these before, well they are really something else, but maybe not for everyone. These are Rolled Up tortilla chips that are loaded and we do mean loadedwith spices. These are the kind of chips that when you eat them your fingers get stained and coatedfrom the chili and lime seasonings. In this case red. These are spicy and fiery and have a little mouth puckering thing going on too (from the lime). I have read these are kind of like “TAKIS FUEGOS” chips but as I’ve never actually tried TAKIS Fuego chips myself I can’t say how close they are to those. As these are pretty intense with flavors and spices, these may be “a love it or hate it” item. I find these addictive. Spicy delicious, crunchy and pretty much a Wow in the flavor department. I love them. However my wife doesn’t like them. She things they are way too much, but this is OK by me as that means I don’t have to share them. I get the whole bag to myself;)
While I do like eating these right out of the bag I particularly like them matched up with other (blander) items. Like eaten with some cheese or some bean dip or guacamole, or even dipped into ricotta or cottage cheese. Great with sour cream of course too as with something else it balances out the bang a bit so if they are too much on their own try them together with other things. A package is now $2.99.
TIP: As I said as far as finding out if an item is Discontinued I ask a store’s Captain if they can look up an item and check it’s status, and see if it’s just “TOS” (temporarily out of stock) or officially discontinued (“Disco’d” in TJ’s speak). Sometimes they will even tell you a time they should be back and available. Sometimes however its bad news. Like I got a few months ago when I could not find TJ’s Pine Kitty Litter. Argh!!!
New at Trader Joe’s: Creme Fraiche is kind of the French version of sour cream. However its a bit different, and better that sour cream as it has more butterfat plus is a bit more tangy. This is the first time I’ve seen creme fraiche at Trader Joe’s. This is a welcome addition to the dairy stuff. Lots of ways to use it. Use it in cooking. Also fabulous au naturel topped with berries and a little sprinkle of coconut sugar.
” This unique take on corn combines flavors inspired by Elote, a popular street food in Mexico. Our version is lime spiked slathered in a smoky cream sauce and topped with authentic cotija cheese. “
I find this to be really good Trader Joe’s product. Find this In the frozen veg section. When you open the bag you see corn plus some large pellets. This is the sauce, frozen up, a neat trick. The pellets melt up as you heat it coating the corn in a nice sauce. When its ready to serve you sprinkle on a little package of included grated Cotija cheese (kind of Mexico’s parmesan). Everything works together to make a delicious corn dish inspired by “elotes“. It can be a great side dish for tacos, maybe Carnitas.
“For this at-home version of what’s often called street corn, we’ve opted to take the kernels off the cob. We’ve enrobed the corn in a creamy, smoky sauce that melts off as the corn heats – it seems magical, but it’s really just simple thermodynamics. It’s also spiked with lime juice and studded with cilantro, lending additional authenticity. A packet of Cotija cheese is included in each package of Corn – when the corn is heated through and ready to serve, sprinkle the crumbled cheese on top. It’s the ideal finishing touch to this crunchy, sweet, smoky, spicy dish. Present it as a side dish with a Mexican-inspired meal, or serve it in individual ramekins as an appetizer course.”
(note: this product seems to have a tendency to go bye bye and get sold out as supplies come and go; you can ask at the front desk for if / when it will be restocked if you can’t find on the shelves)
“Trader Joe’s farm raised Lightly Smoked Salmon, Skinless & Boneless Applewood Smoked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil “
RAVE
I would call this a Trader Joe’s top 10 item! When we can find it. It does seem to go in and out of stock, often. The pink cans of “Lightly Smoked Salmon” come in a square can can, with the other kinds of canned fish, like tuna, sardines and about three other cans of canned salmon. All round cans. This one is very popular so its does seem to get Sold Out on occasion, eventually returning when they get new stock of it. There is nothing wrong with the other cans of salmon they have. They are fine, pretty much similar to any canned salmon you’ve tried before.
This one however is better, think of this as “gourmet canned salmon“.
I happen to love this canned salmon. Apparently along with many other Trader Joe’s fans of it (read some of the Comments below).
Everyone seems to love it once they try it. Word has gotten out so from time to time, you may not see it. It gets Sold Out pretty easily (it does seem to eventually get restocked when they get more, though it may be awhile before they get stock). You might see people taking 6 cans, which is why you may not get one!
Now the very first time I saw this can I was both intrigued and maybe slightly confused by the name… What does “Lightly Smoked Salmon” even mean, as this is in a can?
Basically I say just ignore the name and especially the word, “smoked”. This has nothing to do with what you or I think of when we see the words “smoked salmon”.
What this actually is, is the best, I repeat “The Best” can of salmon you probably ever tasted.
Frankly I think that name, Lightly Smoked Salmon, that they picked for this may not be ideal. A more accurate name would have been something like “Chilean Olive Oil Poached Salmon”, or “Gourmet Canned Salmon” as that is exactly what this is.
This tinned salmon makes me think about those imported tins of canned fish made by high quality Portuguese and Spanish producers. Like Ortiz’scanned tuna ($23/lb) and the like, cans and jars of which I see at gourmet grocery vendors like Zabar’s and Fairway. $18 for a jar of canned tuna? Yup. That stuff is not Chicken of the Sea.
As you can see when one opens this can, you see an appetizing piece ofskinless, boneless salmon. It was cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The label says this is a “Product of Chile”. I’ve since learned that Chile, after Norway, is the world’s second largest producer of farmed salmon. Overall the quality appears high.The salmon has had all the skin and bones removed (some canned salmon has both). The fish was cooked in olive oil. Think “olive oil poached salmon”.
That golden orange-y liquid is a decent Chilean EVOO mixed with the salmon’s juices. This juice is very delicious. The salmon is moist and flaky, with both a wonderful flavor and wonderful soft texture. I would guess the olive oil is from Chile. Yes, this is farmed Atlantic salmon (not wild) but its Top Quality. About the word “smoked”, well “Applewood smoke” is listed among the Ingredients but honestly I don’t really taste any smoke flavor. Maybe it is so subtle in the background. It doesn’t matter. This stuff is really really good.
I opened a can the first time to review it. I found it so tasty I could not stop trying some. I kept saying to myself “just try one more bite”. Suddenly I noticed the can was empty.
This can of fish makes a super easy almost instant lunch, dinner or healthy snack. Its got a whopping 21 grams of Protein.
That Golden Oil the fish is swimming in? I implore you to not dump it. If you do that you will be making a mistake. That sauce is delicious. Its like a built in sauce, a golden elixir that matches the salmon perfectly. It’s extra virgin olive oil mixed with the cooking juices now colored orange from the salmon, and its yummy, and just oozing with UMAMI. Sure you can sprinkle on some fresh lemon juice with it and it will be even better.
I suggest when you serve it you spoon the golden oil over the fish with a squeeze of lemon. Perfection. You could equally spoon some of this golden oil on say this salmon atop salad greens, or boiled potatoes, or a rice bowl or what have you.
Basically this is a piece of poached salmon in a can. You can simply put it on a plate and you are done. Or on top of a salad or greens or a protein bowl…. Mashed up into an avocado with a little mayo and lemon. Voila, you have a delicious healthy meal with almost no effort. This salmon is wonderful as-is right out of the can. Try it on toast, or a toasted bagel, or on crackers. I found this is a perfect match with TJ’s great Norwegian CRISPBREAD for a Scandinavian style open faced sandwich.
This salmon is especially perfect for summertime heat or whenever you don’t feel like cooking. Mix a bit of mayo and lemon juice into this for lovely perfect salmon salad. The other night I didn’t feel like cooking. I found I had a nice ripe avocado I needed to use, so I just mixed a can of this salmon with a little mayo, lemon juice and some Peri-Peri sauce and spooned that into an avocado.
Avocado Stuffed with Salmon
I ate this lovely avocado stuffed with salmon for dinner. It took me minutes to make and was so yummy.
RECIPE IDEA – Japanese Salmon Rice Bowl: I make this all the time. Put some fresh cooked rice in a bowl (if you have it, short grain) Now top it with this salmon, which you flaked up. Drizzle some of the Golden Oil over things. Sprinkle on a TJ’s Furikake seaweed seasoning and chopped scallions. Mix gently. YUM. Dinner! Optional: a sprinkle of Soy Sauce and a sprinkle of Toasted Sesame Oil. Maybe slices of avocado and cucumbers?
Seaweed Hand Rolls with Salmon and Cucumber
One serving contains 190 calories and a whopping 21 grams of protein. The 5 oz can has about 3.6 oz of drained salmon. It’s $3.69. Product of Chile. Great pantry item. I would gladly buy it again.
Can one put this away in your larder for a year or two to improve with age like the do in Spain? (canned fish improves with age like wine*) *Spain and Portugal have some bodegas which specialize in tinned fish and seafood which they keep for a year or two or three… Believe it or not the cans of fish improve with age, just like wine. Search for a video of the late, great Tony Bourdain visiting one of the most famous of these bodegas in Spain, eating cans of seafood and loving every bite…. EL ESPINALER
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 Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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