RAVE

“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.

(If you are interested in learning more at these here’s detailed info about “Patagonian Red Shrimp”)

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.

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 some, sprinkle a little Old Bay seasoning or dill seasoning on top. Easy and delicious.

RECIPE: RED SHRIMP WITH HONEY ALEPPO SAUCE – https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/honey-aleppo-shrimp

(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).

ROY CHOI’S INSTANT RAMEN WITH CHEESE

Another idea? Vietnamese style rice paper shrimp rolls (search Asian markets for the rice wrappers) https://justasdelish.com/vietnamese-shrimp-rolls-peanut-hoisin-sauce/

One more idea? Fried rice with shrimp.