“….tart, tangy, and umami-rich flavor…. Traditionally made with a base of rice vinegar, bonito broth, rice wine, and some manner of citrus juice, Ponzu is a pitch-perfect sauce for seasoning fish for poke and sashimi, but that’s hardly where we’d stop. Made for us by an expert supplier in Japan, Trader Joe’s Ponzu Sauce can add an element of sweetness, savoriness, and richness to all sorts of dishes, from the simplest of rice bowls to the most complex of marinades.” – TJ website
Ponzu is a classic, traditional Japanese sauce which gives umami flavor to things and is usually made with soy sauce plus yuzu citrus. This version is a soy sauce (shoyu ponzu).
Here’s just one idea to make a super easy summer dish. Take a piece of the very good organic SILKEN TOFU, and pour on ponzu sauce. Done. If you want, add chopped scallions, maybe sesame seeds. That’s just one example of how I use this ponzu sauce.
Trader Joe’s version of ponzu is quite tasty. Savory with citrus-y notes and a little sweetness. Even my (Japanese) wife gave this ponzu a thumbs up.
You can use it as a marinade for chicken or fish, then glaze it on at the end and serve on the size as a dipping sauce too. I have found this a very useful item to have in the fridge.
“….for pretty much any savory application in the kitchen, and especially so for making flavorful salad dressings, dipping with tempura, pan-fried gyoza, and other crispy appetizers, or mixing into burger patties for an extra bonito-powered boost of umami.”
Great for a dumpling dipping sauce too. If you want spicy mix in some chili crisp.
If you want even more citrus flavor (I do) just add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Asian style salad dressing Mix some ponzu with a little lemon juice and tahini.
I was surprised to see these at Trader Joe’s. Frankly they looked more to me like like eggs you might find at Whole Foods or your local Farmer’s Market. But I bet those would charge somewhere between 8 and 10 dollars for these, not six bucks.
They say: “Laid by heirloom chickens living in a free range, open air environment. Especially excellent for omelettes”. I didn’t try them yet as these are Medium sized and I tend towards buying Extra Large eggs but these do look really interesting and quite gourmet. Said to have a very deep colored rich amber yolk.
By the way, my limited city-boy understanding of why eggs are white, brown or a color like these is that its related to the breed of the chicken who made them. In simple terms white chickens lay white eggs, while brown chickens lay brown eggs, etc. Besides brown and white, some breeds also lay blue or green eggs, like Araucanas, due to other pigments.
Trader Joe’s Free Range Heirloom Fresh Blue and Brown eggs (medium) $5.99/dozen
Brown or white, all eggs are equal nutritionally if the chickens are fed the same diet. My wife says brown eggs are “better” than white ones but thats not quite the case.
Here’s what they have to say about their new SPICY DYNAMITE Sauce: “Made with a base of vegan mayo, the ingredients to our Spicy Dynamite Sauce read like a list of greatest gastronomic hits: Pickled chili peppers! Sesame oil! Garlic! Horseradish-mustard paste! It all adds up to one superlatively full-flavored profile, with notes of heat, sweet, and umami, and a captivatingly creamy texture. We like it on and with everything , and we mean everything: French fries, chicken nuggets, poke bowls, grilled salmon, roasted broccoli, baked potatoes, burgers, sandwiches, fish tacos, scrambled eggs—seriously, you name it, and this Sauce will work like Dynamite.”
First off, let me just state, this is SERIOUSLY spicy. Let me say that again. This is HOT STUFF.
Absolutely spicydelicious as Bourdain used to say. I really liked it. A vegan mayo with a lot of tasty ingredients that will spice up and add flavor to whatever you put it on. And you can put it on everything. I mean everything.
How spicy is it? Very. I quickly realized how spicy this actually was and that a little went a long way. So use sparingly. I just used a few small dollops of it and got the effect. I even toned it down, mixing it into other things, like yogurt and mayonnaise , ketchup, and liked all these sauce combos I made. TIP: When cold it’s quite thick and a little hard to control squeezing a small amount. So do that carefully lest you get too much coming out of the bottle.
This is a very good sauce with a lot of flavor. Just know that its going to bring the heat.
The softest variety of tofu is not “soft tofu”. Actually that would be the tofu called “silken”, whose texture is even softer. The texture of Silken is almost like a firm pudding, extra silky and velvety texture, with a very delicate and pure soy flavor. Tofu lovers prize it.
TJ’s says: “…(Silken Tofu) can be enjoyed hot or cold, mixed into sauces, and even blended into smoothies. From the simple (lightly boiled, topped with Crunchy Chili Onion, and enjoyed by the spoonful) to the slightly more involved (mixed with Turmeric and Nutritional Yeast and fried like scrambled eggs), Trader Joe’s Organic Silken Tofu is a versatile, velvety-textured addition to your culinary toolbox.”
Here’s my honest review.
Trader Joe’s new SILKEN TOFU is an excellent addition to all the varieties of tofu they sell. Surprisingly Trader Joe’s Organic Silken Tofu even got approval from our resident tofu expert, my (Japanese/Korean) wife who I asked to taste it. She kind of surprised me giving Trader Joe’s silken tofu a big thumbs up. She told me it was very goof tofu, and trust me she is as tough as it gets when it comes to tofu, or frankly anything else from Trader Joe’s. She even assumed it was “made in Japan” and told me to check the package carefully to see if it said that. It doesn’, so it must be made here in the U.S. by some very good tofu manufacturer for Trader Joe’s.
Tofu texture is really based on how much water is squeezed out while making it. Silken tofu is the absolutely softest variety of tofu, It is pudding-like, very soft and delicate tasting, tasting of the soy beans used. It’s terrific for using in soups and stews or enjoyed just as is. If you ever had Korean “Soon Dubu” that’s the kind of tofu used in many Korean tofu stews (jigae).
We found this delicious eaten simply. You can just take a piece and put it on a plate and drizzle it with a little soy sauce, Ponzu sauce, and/or a drizzle of chili crisp. Great like this to eat chilled especially on a hot summer day.
The silken tofu can be used in some recipes that call for the soft tofu, for example Korean Soondubu Jigae. You can mix it into scrambled eggs for adding even more protein.
The tofu (16 oz net) comes in two pieces in the box. It’s a little hard to get out without breaking it, so do that carefully. I cut the plastic wrapper and tipped it onto a plate, shaking the box a bit to get it out.
I think one of the halves makes a nice portion for one, so think two nice servings per box unless you are using it as an ingredient. Though TJ’s mentions boiling it, you don’t have to. Tofu is already cooked in the manufacturing process. You can just put this silken tofu on a plate and pour some sauce over it and maybe add some chopped scallions and enjoy it. We love it cold for a summer dish.
I’ve never made a smoothie with it but as Trader Joe’s suggests, that is not a bad idea at all. Good way to get a lot of protein. Based on the Nutrition info one 3 oz serving has 4g Protein, with five servings in the package according to the label. Therefore 15 g protein in total.
TJ’s website lists the price as $2.49/16 Oz. Before I knew that I bought it at one TJ’s I go to where they had the prices as $3.49 (wrong). When I saw the website price I asked the Captain at that store to double check the price and they admitted they wrote it up wrong. They corrected the incorrect price, finally. It’s $2.49
TIP: it’s a bit hard to get out of the plastic package so if you want it in a big piece, do it carefully and gently. I run a knife around the edge to try to loosen it and put it upside down on a plate.
If you are looking for regular sliced bread from Trader Joe’s for sandwiches or what have you, and want to get one that’s whole wheat, this is a yet another nutritious bread option that Trader Joe’s offers. “HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT” is made from whole wheat flour and lightly sweetened with honey. It has a soft crumb and a pleasant, wholesome flavor of whole wheat.
100 calories/slice, 5 gr of Protein, 3 gr of Fiber.
Trader Joe’s HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD is a light brown color from the whole wheat. It has regular slices, not too thick nor too thin (16 per loaf). It’s soft but not too soft. It has a little bit of texture to it. The ingredient list is short and simple with whole wheat flour as the first ingredient. Its a healthy choice but it doesn’t taste “too healthy” if you know what I mean. Even picky kids may like it. Its quite tasty, both toasted and As Is.
This is perfect to make sandwiches with. It won’t fall apart easily. It was really good toasted which is one way I like it.
Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat coming right up.
It’s one of the most affordable bread options at Trader Joe’s at (now) $2.99 (was 2.49 not long ago) This will beat most supermarket similar breads for price, value and quality.
HARVEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD$2.99, 24 oz loaf (1 1/2 lbs, 680 gr)
Do you need a few ideas for Healthy Snack options for shopping at Trader Joe’s?
Here are just a few ideas….
Fruits and Veggies: A great snack could be say, fresh apples sliced up.
One favorite snack for me is some sliced APPLE with some PEANUT BUTTER. A classic combination providing fiber, healthy fats, and protein. Besides apples I like bananas and peanut butter. As well as cut up sticks of vegetables (carrot, celery or jicama sticks) All these things are great snacks on their own but get some protein from nut butters. Besides peanut butter, there are other nut butters too, such as almond butter. My favorite peanut butter at Trader Joe’s? Crunchy salted with the blue label. The one with honey one us also good.
Now I would just buy an apples and cut them up. However Trader Joe’s does sell some “pre-cut” fruits and veggies for convenience. Personally I never buy these type of items. It’s not a big deal to cut up an apple for me. The moment you cut any fruit or veggie up it starts to oxidize and deteriorate. And you pay a lot more for someone to do that work.
Nuts or Trail Mix; these are great snacks (in moderation) Trail Mix: Trader Joe’s offers a variety of mixes with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Raw, Unsalted, Untoasted Nuts: A simple and healthy snack. Dark Chocolate-Covered Almonds: A delicious way to get antioxidants and healthy fats. Finally the fantastic TRAIL MIX CRACKERS
Cut up some Vegetable Sticks such as carrots or celery and pair them with some HUMMUS or some other lower fat dip. How about that new Roasted Tomato LABNEH?
For chips, I think the PLANTAIN CHIPS are kind of better than potato or other chips
Protein Snacks: Any Cheese or cheese sticks, string cheese, hard cooked peeled eggs, chomps turkey sticks….
Other Healthy Options:
Organic Popcorn with Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A whole-grain, antioxidant-rich snack.
Grainless Granola: A crunchy blend of nuts, seeds, and dried coconut. Puffins Cereal (Peanut Butter flavor): A fun and healthy way to enjoy cereal. Low-Fat Greek Yogurt: Pair with berries and a touch of honey for a healthy and protein-packed snack. Piquant Popcorn: A top snack for weight loss. Norwegian Crisp Bread: A versatile base for avocado and other toppings. Bamba Peanut Snacks: A high-volume, low-calorie option. Plantain Chips: A healthier alternative to potato chips. Lentil and Chickpea Crisps: A flavorful and healthy snack. Oven-Baked Cheese Bites: A high-protein option. Trek Mix Handfuls: A portable and nonperishable snack. Hummus: A creamy blend of chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil. They have some hummus snacks that come with crackers for easy snacking.
With just a little prep work and some baggies, you can make snack packages. Good luck!
“What do you need to make the perfect summer salad? Fresh, peppery greens? Aromatic herbs? Zesty, citrus flavors? Some resoundingly delicious crunch? How about a salad that ticks all those boxes? Trader Joe’s Lemony Arugula Basil Salad Kit gives you all the tools necessary to create a superlatively summer-y salad, complete with leafy arugula, shredded Parmesan cheese, crunchy carrots and roasted almonds, and a stunningly citric, wholly herbaceous, basil lemon vinaigrette dressing.” (TJ)
I know a lot of people seem to love this salad kit. It’s one of the more popular ones at Trader Joe’s. Personally I am a fan of eating arugula, raw in a salad. I like it’s slightly peppery bite. I buy a package of Trader Joe’s arugula frequently as my salad base. My wife on the other hand, prefers to eat arugula cooked. To each his own.
This salad kit makes getting an arugula salad together super easy. Just toss it in a bowl and add the dressing. Arugula and shaved pieces of carrot plus almonds and grated Parmesan cheese. The dressing is something everybody says is very tasty, with some folks wishing that Trader Joe’s sold the dressing in a bottle.
The salad matches well with other things, such as grilled chicken or salmon, served hot or cold.
Say on some crazy hot day like today where it is 95 and just thinking about cooking will make you sweat, how about using this KIT to make an easy dinner with zero cooking? Just dump the salad in a bowl, and add a can of that delicious new SKIPJACK TUNA on top. Voila! Dinner. Easy peasy.
“A light, bright, lemon and almond based pesto with savory Grana Padano cheese and a touch of black pepper.”
“SIMPLY STIR A FEW TABLESPOONS WITH HOT PASTA AND SERVE WITH FRESH GRATED CHEESE”
Ingredients: Sunflower oil, lemon, water, Grana Padano cheese, almonds, sugar, lemon zest, salt, lactic acid, natural flavors, veg and fruit juice (for color) yeast extract, black pepper.
This was a LIMITED product which was released some time back and lots of people clamored about it and said this was a Must Try product. Later it seemed to vanish from the shelves for some time but it’s now back in stock once again (bought June 2025).
TJ’s says: “This enchanting concoction is light, bright, a little cheesy, a little nutty, and positively bursting with Lemon flavor—a dazzling example of culinary wizardry. Inspired by a pasta dish from Italy’s Amalfi coast (where lemon is a key element of local cuisine), our Italian supplier crushes whole lemons and combines them with sunflower seed oil, savory Grana Padano cheese, almonds, a touch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and extra lemon zest for good, citrusy measure. When we say this limited edition, lip-smacking Sauce adds magic to mealtimes, it’s not hyperbole. Stir it into Organic Mafalda Corta Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Pearls and chopped mint. Spread it on a toasted baguette and top with Sliced Prosciutto. Dollop it on grilled All Natural Thin- Sliced Chicken Breasts or shrimp kabobs. With each wave of your wand… er, spoon, you may even be inspired to incant “Presto, Lemon Pesto!”
“Lemon Pesto”? An interesting concept. Invented by the same Italian manufacturer who makes Trader Joe’s ROSATELLA sauce. Inspired by the Amalifi coast where lemon is a big thing.
Is this pesto a bit controversial? Perhaps. Some people call it “horrible”. I suspect they are using too much of it in their dish. The maintrick to using this LEMON PESTO successfully is to get the amount right, which will take a little experimentation. This is nothing like standard basil pesto. This Lemon pesto is kind of concentrated. You don’t want to use too much. Less is more. You will have to learn how much to add. Add a few spoons of it into hot (al dente) pasta, plus some of that magic ingredient, your pasta cooking water, cooking and tossing it all in the pan to get everything to come together.
Use too much and you can ruin the dish. So start with adding a big tablespoon, incorporate that, taste it and see how you like it. If you don’t think the flavor is strong enough add a bit more. Less is more with this lemon pesto, so experiment till you get the ratio of pesto to pasta right for your tastes (offhand I’d say two rounded teaspoons of the pesto to about 1/2 pound of pasta, plus a ladle of pasta water was about right for me) As good as it is, I still think a “lemon pasta” made using this pesto sauce will benefit from adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, maybe even grilling thin slices of lemon like I did, and sauteed fresh garlic.
As it uses sunflower oil, you definitely should add a finishing touch of a drizzle of some good EVOO. Finish with some fresh grated cheese, Parmigiano, Pecorino, Asiago…. whatever you like and perhaps some chopped basil, parsley or arugula to add an herbal flavor.
Here I used the lemon pesto sauce with TJ’s excellent ORGANIC LEMON TORCHIETTI pasta. The pasta and this lemon pesto matched very well together and is a combo worth trying. I tossed in peas too to add a little more protein.
The pesto can also be use as an ingredient say to put dollop of the sauce on top of grilled chicken breasts or grilled salmon or shrimp. Based on someone saying this can be used in Avocado Toast, I tried that and guess what? It worked! A bit of this in my Avocado made some very tasty Avocado Toast. I used a small amount (1/2 tsp) or so of the pesto, plus fresh lemon juice, mashed into the avocado, and a lot of black pepper.
Here’s a link to a recipe on Trader Joe’s site using the pesto and potatoes for a lemony potato salad. So feel free to experiment.
According to Trader Joe’s, this pasta, organic lemon Torchiette (meaning “little torches”), was included in those nice gift worthy imported pasta assortment boxes during the Holidays, if you remember, they came in a trio of high end Italian pastas and made a nice gift. I think those were $10. Trader Joe’s got feedback that people especially loved one of the three pastas in the gift set which was this one, “Organic Lemon Torchietti”. So Trader Joe’s decided to come out with it as a stand alone item in a 1 pound box.
I liked this pasta a lot, and think these are well worth trying. This Torchietti is a really good, very high quality Italian pasta from a good manufacturer. I could see some fancy store easily charging three times what Trader Joe’s is selling it for ($3.49)
Trader Joe’s says this: “Shining brightly with Sicilian lemon flavor and a complementary yellow hue (thanks to the addition of organic turmeric), these short, wavy, organic durum wheat noodles are extruded through a bronze die, creating a ridged exterior that makes them an exceptional vehicle for an array of sauces. Try tossing them in an olive oil, pesto, or Organic Vodka Sauce. Or for a double dose of lemon, Limone Alfredo Sauce. In addition to this sauce-supporting superiority, Trader Joe’s Organic Lemon Torchietti are equally excellent in hot and cold preparations – let pasta salad season begin!”
Ingredients are : Organic Semolina Durum Wheat, Water, Organic Lemon Oil, turmeric (for color)
COOKING: 6-7 minutes in boiling salted water.
The pasta is very good, I tasted it plain, it had just the slightest hint of lemon, from the lemon oil used to make it. The shape and being bronze die cut means the pasta holds sauces very well.
TJ’s does suggest pairing this Torchietti with their LEMON ALFREDO SAUCE which is I’m sure is a good combo, and one I will try later. First, I used these Torchietti with that “LEMON PESTO” to come up with a lemon themed pasta dish. Adding to the pesto with extra lemon, olive oil, butter, Pecorino, and a few grilled lemon slices. The dish turned out very good.
(TIP: I took the pasta out early at around 4 minutes as I was going to continue cooking it in my sauce for another 2+ minutes with my sauce for al dente pasta)
By the way, I bought them 2 weeks ago, and they were $2.99, which Trader Joe’s website also says is the price. I go back yesterday and I see the sign now says $3.49?! Is this price increase due to Tariffs coming into effect?
These can work in a hot dish but they suggest these would be good for a pasta salad too. I agree. The unique twisted shape really is good for holding sauces. And I would not just think “lemon” with the pasta, I could easily see pairing this with any of your favorite sauces. The lemon flavor in the pasta is not strong at all.
The website says “Limited” for these, so if you want to try these, I would grab a box while you can.
Here’s yet another addition to Trader Joe’s “Tinned Fish” selection.
Trader Joe’s Boneless Grilled Mackerel Fillets in Extra Virgin Olive Oil are wild-caught in the Mediterranean. The fish are filleted into big meaty long pieces and Grilled and even get a few grill marks you can see in the picture. These are canned for TJ’s in Tunisia. They have a nice, meaty texture and delicate flavor profile. They’re packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so I assume the oil is Tunisian.
Trader Joe’s says: “These Fillets are a great substitute for smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese. Or in an omelette. Or taste terrific simply served on buttered toast. At lunch or dinner, they’re a terrific topping on a salad and a fantastic filling in a sandwich—especially when lightly fried, first. And for the tinned fish purists out there, they’re also great when enjoyed over crackers or crostini with cracked pepper, hot sauce, or a squeeze of lemon juice.”
A big plus? A whopping 32g of Protein per can
In the picture below I used the Mackerel Fillets as the fish part for a kind of sushi hand roll (makizushi). I made some sushi rice. Assembled that with mackerel fillets on top of Trader Joe’s SEAWEED SNACKS for the nori (Unlike real nori these will tend to fall apart)
Topped them with julienned cucumber and peppers. Squeeze of lemon, YUZU mayonaisse…. they were really yummy! You can also make the same kind of thing with Spicy Tuna, which is what I typically make these with but the mackerel fillets worked there too.
Mackerel is a healthy fish and sustainable. I liked these fillets. I would buy it again
Pair this with the new ROASTED TOMATO LABNEH? Might be perfect match with this fish.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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