“The mild, slightly briny flavor and tender, meaty texture of Trader Joe’s Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil should win over even the most ‘tin-ative’ tasters; especially when incorporated into a charcuterie board with toasted Organic Baguette slices, Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, Colossal Garlic -Stuffed Olives, and fresh lemon wedges. And these Calamari also score a definite tinned-fish win when added to a bowl of Spanish Rice, or to a batch of prepared Linguine with Pesto & Tomatoes.”
Are you Tinned Fish aficionado? If so try this new product Trader Joe’s just introduced which could be interesting to all of those into exploring canned/tinned sardines and other fish, as this is a current popular craze that has really caught on big time via social media. This CALAMARI is a good addition to your tinned fish options.
Trader Joe’s newest addition to their line of canned seafood is: “Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil”. (calamari aka “jumbo squid). This is a Product Of Spain where fishermen catch the squid in the traditional manner, jigged/line caught. The squid is cleaned and the tentacles are cooked in olive oil and canned. When I opened up a can I thought the small pieces of the calamari (tentacles only) looked appealing. Nothing too scary.
The squid had a nice briny taste and was both tender and slightly chewy at the same time. Its good as-is out of the can however this was certainly improved with a squeeze of lemon and a few grinds of black pepper, so I say those are a must with this.
You could enjoy this as right out of the can as an appetizer with perhaps some toasted baguette or other good bread, or on some crackers. Or you might use this in a dish, for example to make a rice dish. You could make an easy Japanese style rice bowl – just top a bowl of warm rice with some of this squid and the juice. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of soy sauce.
I could easily envision using a can of this to make something like a “linguine with clam sauce” type of pasta just using this calamari instead of clams. Add lots of garlic, parsley, lemon, white wine and olive oil, either just like that or perhaps with a tomato sauce. Or using this in perhaps a Paella type of rice dish…
Use your imagination with this Calamari in Olive Oil! Let us know in the comments what you come up with.
$3.99
I would buy this again.
“The large tentacles of the captured Calamari are cleaned & cooked just enough to yield a firm, yet tender texture. They’re cut into 1.5-centimeter chunks and packed with extra virgin olive oil & salt.”
Read more about this on Trader Joe’s website here:
Simply put you might think of Creme Fraiche as the more refined (French cousin) of American Sour Cream. Both are made by culturing cream and are thick and tangy and let’s face it, very tasty! But Creme Fraiche has a higher fat content so its a bit richer plus it can stand heating/cooking without breaking where as sour cream might separate. Naturally it costs more. It can be used in most ways you might use sour cream.
For one idea; you can make a nice topping with it. Mix in some sugar and a touch of vanilla into Creme Fraiche, then use this wonderful topping with most any fruit, baked good, desserts or what have you.
“Great for salads. On a cracker. With Cream Cheese. Or Creme Fraiche”
TJ’s smoked rainbow trout will definitely satisfy fans of smoked fish (raises hand).
You will find this in the Refrigerated case near all the kinds of smoked salmon Trader Joe’s sells. These fillets of Smoked Rainbow Trout are delicious. At $8.49 a package (8 oz) yes it might be a bit of a splurge, however the quality is definitely gourmet level, and smoked fish ain’t cheap eats. We find it worth the occasional splurge as it is so good, and I can get stretch one package into two meals.
As with smoked fish a little goes a long way, I found I can usually come up with two meals out of a package. For instance, the first night I used one fillet as an appetizer, served on crackers, and that was very yummy. The next night, I used the other fillet and came up with a Japanese style rice dish for dinner. That in particular was really tasty., and a big hit in our house.
Open up this package and you will find a half side of a rainbow trout, skin on, filleted into two pieces, one thick piece plus the thinner tail half.
This trout has been delicately smoked with four fruit wood chips (Maple, Oak, Apple and Cherry). Which gives this an appealing smoky aroma. As a huge fan of smoked fish over a lifetime, I can tell good stuff and I would call this gourmet level. While not exactly cheap, TJ’s price for this is less. For instance I saw a similar package of trout at Whole Foods going for about $12.
The fish has the typical pellicule (glossy coating) from being smoked which is normal and of course edible. I found the trout to have a nice smoke from the 4 fruit wood chips they use; The smoke is not too heavy, its just right, it doesn’t overpower the trout, it enhances the flavor of the fish. I did find it the tiniest hair on the salty side but this is normal for smoked fish and its counter balanced when you eat the fish with other things which balance out the salinity.
You could prep the fish by taking off the skin, then breaking it up in bite size bits. I broke up the fish with my fingers. You will get smelly fingers but just wash with soap and lemon. If you don’t want to use your fingers you could try doing this with two forks.
Use the pieces any way you wish. One idea TJ’s has is serving this on top of a salad, which is a good idea. A similar variation I came up with is “smoked trout potato salad“. I served the smoked fish with a lemon mayo dressing on top of cold boiled potatoes. The combo was so good. The smoky fish matched perfectly with the potatoes. We really enjoyed this for a summer dinner. Next time I will toss in some capers too, which will make this even better.
PS – I made this in fact a few weeks after I wrote this. We loved it! This potato and smoked fish salad was delicious and so easy.
SMOKED TROUT AND POTATO SALAD
Boil up golden or red potatoes cut into large cubes in salted water till cooked. Drain. I added a cucumber and quarter of a large Sweet onion on top of the potatoes. I put one fillet of the trout on top which I shredded up into bite size chunks (I did it with fingers, or use two forks). Dressing: My dressing was half mayo, half Greek yogurt, lot of lemon juice and dill seasoning. Lot of black pepper.
You can easily make a smoked trout salad the same way, mix your fish up with some mayo, sour cream, or greek yogurt, lemon juice, maybe a little chopped celery or scallions…. Try that on top of a toasted bagel.
I thought this smoked trout would match perfectly with CREME FRAICHE as they suggest, and it did especially with a drizzle of lemon juice. You could use sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt instead, maybe with a little dill or dill pickle season blend. Or mayonnaise with lemon juice….
The trout would be great on a bagel with cream cheese too of course like smoked salmon.
The first night I did an appetizer with the trout. We spread creme fraiche on crackers and topped it with shredded up smoked trout. For the next night, I had saved one fillet for another dish. I came up with an idea to use the smoked fish for a Japanese rice dish with the trout. The finished dish turned out great. I used my traditional clay pot (donabe) as I love cooking with it. A rice cooker would work just as well, or even a heavy pot on the stove-top. Not liking to waste anything I even used the skin to make an easy fish stock (dashi) before hand to cook the rice in and add that flavor. The cooked skin went to the cats later as nothing should be wasted as per the Japanese philosophy of waste “Mottainai” (Mottainai: A Japanese Philosophy of Waste ).
All I can say is my wife, who is Japanese, loved my rice dish and deemed it delicious, which is saying something as she is not easy to please! A recipe follows below.
JAPANESE STYLE RICE WITH SMOKED TROUT – you can make this in a clay pot, rice cooker, or just any heavy pot on the stove. (DASHI/BROTH) Remove skin from the fish and put it in a pot with 2 cups water with 1/2 inch thinly sliced ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes (you can add carrots or other vegetables for additional flavor and put them in the rice later) Or you can use Dashi powder (Hondashi) for a fish stock.
Wash 1.5 cups of rice (short grain rice preferred but Jasmine rice will work in a pinch) Place drained rice in your pot and cover rice with broth by a 1/2 inch. Place the Smoked Trout fillet on top of rice. Add fresh ginger slivered or grated. Cover and cook the rice as you usually would, being sure to not overcook it (as a rule I would say cook 16 minutes, then turn off and don’t open lid. When the rice is finished cooking just let it sit 10 minutes with the cover on and don’t peek. When ready use a wooden spoon or spatula and gently break up the fish into the rice if it still has large pieces. Gently mix it all up adding a drizzle of soy sauce. Add 2 chopped scallions. Option: add edamame or peas or other cooked vegetables too if you like.
I would buy this again. This smoked trout is gourmet quality. Worth the occasional splurge of $8.49 a package I can get two meals out of a package.
By the way, once you learn how to make rice in it you will find that these traditional clay pots make the best and tastiest rice, especially if you love “o-koge” the slightly browned up crunchy rice from the bottom of the pot, which is popular in so many food cultures (Japan, China, Spain, Iran….) I adore that crunchy brown part.
I’ve mentioned before that Trader Joe’s has a few very decent canned products, great for your pantry. I count having some of them, especially during the Summer, when I may not feel one bit like cooking! If thats the case, I have a stock in the pantry of some really tasty, super easy cans of good foods.
I can easily think of at least three items that I buy all the time. All of them are “Mediterranean” style foods (and vegetarian to boot):
GRECIAN EGGPLANT, DOLMAS (stuffed grape leaves), and finally this can called “GIANT BAKED BEANS in tomato sauce” – Large but tender white Cannellini beans cooked in a tasty tomato based sauce. Its a take on a classic Greek bean dish, and these are in fact made in Greece for Trader Joe’s “in small batches”.
Canned you say!? Yes I do …
“Canned? you say. Don’t let the can fool you. This ready-to-eat dish with its smooth, aromatic sauce; cubes of peeled tomatoes; and tender, melt-in-your-mouth beans does not disappoint—even enjoyed at room temperature, straight out of the can. Serve these Giant Beans in a little white bowl as part of a meze spread. Or, warm it up and combine with some wilted spinach and top with Crumbled Feta. It even makes a quick, compact vegetarian lunch—no refrigeration required!”
Just open a can of these and you have a tasty and not to mention healthy dish, loaded with protein (14 grams). Give these a little drizzle of good olive oil, perhaps a squeeze of lemon and maybe even some oregano. You can Heat them, or eat them a troom temp.
You could add them on top of a salad. Maybe add some hard boiled eggs, or a can of tuna or sardines if you like for even more protein.
You could even toss in say a package of CHICKEN MEATBALLS, warm it up and have a complete dinner with no effort.
Like I said these are a great handy item to have in the pantry – and at two bucks pretty reasonable too. Even good for taking on a picnic.
Trader Joe’s says: “Trader Joe’s Instant Cold Brew Coffee starts with 100% Arabica coffee beans from India. Our supplier uses an all-natural, proprietary extraction method that took them over two years to develop. It’s truly a unique process that yields a fine, dark powder. Add one heaping teaspoon of this Instant Cold Brew Coffee to 12 fluid ounces of cold or hot water, then stir until dissolved. The result is a cup of Cold Brew that’s full-bodied, dark, and smooth, with a caramel-like aroma and rich, cold-brew coffee taste.”
I am a big fan of coffee, a real coffee. While I am not half as geeky and fanatic about it as many coffee geeks, I do love me some (great) coffee. Hence I almost never drink any “instant” coffee, which I find not even in the same league as a brewed coffee.
As far as the Cold brewed coffee trend that has caught on the last few years, well I always will prefer a regular brewed coffee too over that. If I want it Cold, I let it sit, chill it and enjoy it then, maybe with ice. But Cold brew doesn’t excite me compared to a chilled down brewed cup of coffee or some pre-made, iced brewed coffee. Still, I wanted to try this “Instant Cold Brew” from Trader Joe’s.
As I am not a big fan of any instant coffee I can’t say I am crazy about this one either however I found it actually made me a drinkable cold coffee beverage on a hot day. So maybe this is good for one of your Coffee Emergencies, where you didn’t plan ahead!
The label says add 1 heaping teaspoon per 12 oz of water but I think I will play with this and add more to make it stronger. This is of course very convenient which is its main selling point. It is convenient I’ve even used it to add to something as an ingredient where coffee was called for.
Here’s a new (Summer ’24) Small Lot Coffee offering. This one is from Brazil, which is of course one of the largest coffee producers in the world. This particular small lot coffee is from the North East coastal region of Bahia, a very vibrant and culturally important region of Brazil.
The coffee is grown there but since Bahia doesn’t have ideal conditions for drying the coffee, the beans are transported elsewhere for that by truck. During these truck rides, the beans naturally ferment.
Trader Joe says: “Ripe Arabica coffee beans spend the long drive in a hot, closed truck. These conditions set off a fermentation process that, unlike the controlled and monitored process for most coffee, happens naturally and with minimal interference. Such spontaneity gives Tropical Bahia Brazil its unique character. A medium roast results in a balanced coffee that boasts layered flavors, notes of sweet fruits, and a touch of acidity.”
I would not say this is one of my favorite of the small lot coffees I have tried from Trader Joe’s (they have had some stunners, like that DOMINICAN one, I adored) – however this is a nice decent coffee, with a light balanced flavor and body with just a bit of acidity and fruitiness. The beans are a Medium Roast.
One nice thing about this coffee is it’s its price, at $7.99 one of the lowest priced small lot coffees I can remember them selling?
MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM BETWEEN TWO CHOCOLATE WAFERS
Well, my wife bought these for us to try. All I can say is this… about two days later she told me I had to go buy her another box as she found only one left. I had eaten most of them.
She barely got a chance to eat any of them and she wasn’t too happy about it. OK I confess this was true. I did eat almost all of them. I couldn’t stop myself! These are “Dangerously Good”, as we say in our house.
Basically these are small ice cream sandwiches; with mint chocolate chip ice cream between two chocolate wafers, like an Oreo/Joe Joe’s but these wafers are pretty soft.
The combination of mini and double chocolate inside and out is really good!
Eating just one of these is nigh on impossible, in fact I dare you to try eating just one (you will want another as soon as its finished)
Four of these have 240 calories, so figure one of the mini mouthfuls comes out to 60 calories.
The box goes for $4.49 (15 oz/12 mini ice cream sandwiches)
I would buy these again. (I have to. I ate almost the whole box myself)
“It would be difficult to overstate just how delicious a plate of mango sticky rice can be.”
Trader Joe’s starts off their description of this new snack with that. I have to agree with that as if you ever had that amazing classic Thai dessert of Mango Sticky Rice, you instantly fall in love with it.
The flavors in this new crispy snack reminds one of that classic dessert, now compressed into a a small bite size crunchy snack. These are made with most of the same ingredients one finds in the classic dish, sticky rice, mango and coconut milk. Of course here the stuff has been baked into a very crunchy slightly sticky treat.
“Made for us by an expert supplier Thailand, Trader Joe’s Mango Sticky Rice Crisps are made with a mix of sticky rice, coconut milk, sweetened dried mango, mango syrup, and sesame seeds. Each bite evokes the tropical sweetness, bright fruity flavors, and faint, toasty nuttiness of this classic, Southeast Asian sweet treat, while adding the textural twist of overt crunchiness into the mix.”
All I can tell you the bag went pretty fast in our house.
“...an unexpected delicacy. Upon tasting it, we were enchanted by the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and the smooth, almost squash-like eggplant flavor that came to life amidst the bright, savory-sweetness of the tomatoes and onions. Our tasting panel was taken by surprise—these wondrous, not-at-all-bitter eggplants really came from a can? Really? Really.”
Ingredients: Fried Eggplant, Tomatoes, Onions, Salt, Parsley, Sugar, Garlic, Red Pepper, Black Pepper (natural sounding stuff)
HOT SUMMER – Now I don’t know about you during mutiple heat wave this summer but I’ve been racking my brains trying to come up with really easy things we can eat for dinner. Things that make for as little use of the kitchen as possible. Many days this summer you didnt even want to think of turning on the stove and cooking. You just want EASY. Right?
So if I can buy something at Trader Joe’s that is decent and all I have to do is open up a package…. And it’s actually tasty, as I’m concerned, that’s terrific in my book. This eggplant dish is one of those kinds of items. It’s surprisingly good.
Yes, I am a cook/foodie so maybe I will fix it up a bit. Add a sprinkle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice. I wanted more garlic in this, so I smashed up a clove of garlic and added it in and it did improve it but even just out of the can, doing nothing really, still this eggplant dish is good and very tasty.
A can of this eggplant dish is super convenient to have on hand in your pantry. Along with some other Mediterranean food in cans from TJ’s which I also like (for example, the DOLMAS STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES & GIANT BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE)
The eggplant dish is rich and smooth, with the eggplant falling apart and is well matched by tomato and onion also melted into the mix. Its not terribly far from a Ratatouille – which you could turn it into by adding some cooked zucchini and garlic. The Trader Joe’s description in this case is so right on I’m quoting what they say….
“…Our tasting panel was taken by surprise—these wondrous, not-at-all-bitter eggplants really came from a can? Really? Really. The Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes & Onions is made for us in Bulgaria, where the eggplant is grown, by our famed Greek Dolmas producers. (They have a production facility in that Southeastern European country, so the eggplant can be cooked immediately upon harvest from the fields.) Whole, long, narrow eggplants—harvested at the height of the season—are split in half lengthwise and stewed in a rich, flavorful “sauce” of tomatoes and onions. Seasoned with parsley, garlic, red pepper and curry powder, and canned with soy oil, the gently- flavored, purple fruits of the nightshade family blossom with seductive Mediterranean essence.”
You can serve this as-is at room temperature with some good bread or crackers or flat bread/naan. Or warm it up if you like. Either way I would suggest giving it a little drizzle of good EVOO, maybe crushed garlic and chopped parsley. All of which will improve it even more, and then you could tell people you made it. Shhh… that it even came out of a can will be our secret!
I had about half of the can left over for another meal. Believe it or not the next night we were going to eat some Indian food. I wondered if I could mix it into some CHANNA MASALA? Guess what? The two worked surprisingly well turning it into eggplant and chick peas with Indian flavors which we enjoyed with Naan and Basmati Rice. So this could become other things…. Mix even with pasta and Feta cheese? Let us know if you have ideas to share.
Trader Joe’s sells some fresh “PIZZA SAUCE” carried in the refrigerated case, near the pizza dough. The sauce goes for $2.69 for 10 oz. I decided to give it a try.
The other night we planned on making a fresh pizza from scratch (I made my own dough using the famous Jim Lahey recipe). When I was ready to assemble the pizza for cooking I used this sauce.
Now my Go-To typically for tomato sauce for making pizza might just be to use TJ’s very decent jarred Marinara. Either the Plain version or the Roasted Garlic version. I like them both.
So here’s my honest review of this fresh sauce. “Just OK”. I would find it hard to recommend. I just tasted it on a spoon. I could swear it gave me a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Possibly from so many dried herbs? It is thick with a lot of ingredients. Too complicated?
I gave it a chance and used it to make the pizza. The pizza turned out OK and yes the sauce was a bit better now cooked but again “just ok” so would stick to my Go-To (and cheaper) jar of TJ’s Marinara – or whatever sauce you like at TJ’s).
So instead of this I suggest using TJ’s regular or ROASTED GARLIC MARINARA if you are making your own pizza from scratch – using either Trader Joe’s pizza dough or your own dough or whatever – and add your mozzarella or favorite cheese(s). Or their prepared Pizza Base.
To top my (marinara) sauce for our pizza I will add a pinch of dried herbs like oregano, maybe some crushed red pepper. Usually I will add fresh garlic. Later I will add fresh basil, cut with a scissors. Then give it all a drizzle of EVOO.
This will be way better than this prepared “pizza sauce” and the Marinara is cheaper to boot. You will plenty left over too to use in another dish, or freeze for later.
I would not buy this again.
Speaking of fresh basil – Here is the legendary late, great Dom DeMarco cutting on some basil with scissors. The Master at work and whose pizza’s I was lucky enough to get to enjoy many times, sometimes waiting a hour or more…. RIP Maestro Dom.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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