FOOD REVIEW - TRADER JOE’S COCONUT SHRIMP

There is a Trader Joe's in my town which I frequent quite often for most of my grocery needs. If you have been to one of their locations, you will find that they have items of fantastic quality for reasonable prices. In some cases, their food is priced better than your local super market. I tend to think of them as a fair priced Whole Foods.

In the past I had given a review of the Trader Joe's Linguine with Clam Sauce which I found surprising delicious. I have never been one to eat or better yet trust frozen shell fish such as clams.

Shrimp is different. We purchase shrimp in a frozen state a majority of the time but I usually do not purchase it in a prepped, ready to eat condition. I have made coconut shrimp in the past and do not find it all that difficult to do. My wife went on a shopping trip today and came home with a box of Trader Joe's Coconut Shrimp. I have been meaning to try them but just never got around to buying a box myself.

The prep time is simple as all ready to eat items are. Preheat the over at 450 degrees and let cook from the frozen state for 12 minutes on a non stick sheet tray. Easy. Simple. Anyone can do it. Above you will see photos that I had taken from before and after cooking. The end product was a nice golden brown that made the shrimp look very appetizing.

As easy as it was you have to consider texture and flavor. Textually, it was crispy to the touch and the shrimp was not soft by any means. They were quite firm. However I did find that there was a bit of a mushy texture in between the breading and the shrimp it self. Although it was a surprise to feel the mushy texture, it was not off putting in the slightest. Do I wish it was not there? Of course but it did not make me stop eating the shrimp and I still enjoyed them.

The flavor of the shrimp was not all that surprising. I found that the shrimp lacked the coconut flavor. Yes there was a hint of coconut to some of the shrimp but as you can see above, you do not see much in terms of coconut flakes. After eating a few of the shrimp I found myself getting my Frank's Red Hot Sauce and turned them into Buffalo Shrimp. The shrimp were very tasty but as I said, the coconut flavor was very inconsistent. I found myself wanting to add to the flavor of the shrimp with the hot sauce.

The real question is would I every purchase the Trader Joe's Coconut Shrimp again? Yes. Although I feel that the shrimp lacked in consistent coconut flavor, I still enjoyed them. The fact that I added the hot sauce was not a sign of blandness or poor flavor. It was just what I wanted at the time. It has been a while since I have scored anything. I used to use a star system that was out of 5 stars. I am now switching to a ranking system from 1 to 10. I score this product as a 7.5 due to my flavor notes and textural issues with the mushiness. Next time that I purchase these shrimp, I will just remember to leave them in for an extra two minutes to combat the mushy texture. I recommend that you do the same. Enjoy!