4 Frozen Seafood Options To Buy And 4 To Avoid

Unless you live somewhere on the coast with a thriving fishing industry nearby, you probably consume frozen seafood. While nothing beats eating a fresh catch right out of the ocean, frozen seafood often doesn't get the respect that it deserves. Freezing technologies and the seafood packaging process have seriously improved with time; most seafood is immediately flash frozen after it's harvested, which preserves quality. Even juicy salmon filets and plump shrimp from the seafood counter at the grocery store were probably frozen and thawed before being put in the display case. Freshness is favored for a reason, but the reality is that frozen seafood can still make a wonderful meal.

That said, there can still be a noticeable difference in frozen seafood quality between different stores and brands. As someone who incorporates a lot of seafood into my diet, I tend to buy frozen seafood of some kind (especially salmon and frozen shrimp) on a regular basis. Now I'm here to share my thoughts on which seafood options to buy and which to avoid.

I'm a sucker for coconut shrimp. Shrimp has a natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with coconut's tropical flavor, and when it gets breaded and cooked until it's extra crispy, it's practically irresistible. A good and easy coconut shrimp recipe makes the dish pretty simple to whip up at home, but to be honest, this is one of those foods that I almost always prefer ordering at restaurants or buying ready-made at the grocery store. That means I've had my fair share of frozen coconut shrimp, and SeaPak makes one of the best store-bought versions that I've had.

Is this the healthiest seafood option that money can buy? Not even close. But these shrimp are truly delicious, and if you're just looking to snack on some yummy coconut-y shrimp in the comfort of your own home, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option. The shrimp is tender, there's a nice amount of coconut in the breading, and it even comes with a citrusy marmalade dipping sauce. Pro tip: Mix in a drop of your favorite vinegary hot sauce to give the dipping sauce a spicy pop.

To be fair to this item, I've never really liked tilapia, and I've tried it from many different places. It feels like everywhere I turn, it's being used in fish tacos at restaurants or crusted in cornmeal and fried for a sandwich. But no matter what form it takes, I just can't get past the muddy flavor this fish has. One of the few dealbreakers I have with food is that it can't taste like wet dirt. I think that's pretty reasonable.

Even with this taken into account, though, Great Value's tilapia filets are among the worst I've ever tasted. A lot of people like tilapia because it's affordable and the pale filets don't seem fishy. But these taste like funky pond water. I don't care how cheap it is, that's never worth it. On the plus side, these filets are individually wrapped and vacuum sealed, which makes them easy to thaw as needed. If you're looking for some kind of seafood with a long shelf life that won't break the bank, I'd recommend getting canned tuna over this. Or, if you're not well-versed in the types of canned tuna available, check out our beginner's guide to canned tuna varieties.

I got turned onto Publix's marinated mussels a long time ago and I've never looked back. I love how incredibly easy they are to prepare — all you have to do is let these tasty morsels simmer in a pan and you'll be rewarded with tender, juicy steamed mussels. They also come with an array of different sauces, such as garlic butter and tomato. I usually add a little splash of wine or beer, just to give the sauce a little extra flavor, but the condiment that comes right out of the box is perfectly fine as it is.

I typically have these mussels with some crostini or garlic bread; it makes for an easy, delicious dinner. Publix also has a lot of buy-one-get-one deals that often incorporate these mussels — I've definitely scored these when they've been on sale. Be on the lookout for such a deal when you're shopping here.

Is it possible to talk about frozen seafood without bringing fish sticks into the conversation? Probably not. When I was growing up, my parents would sometimes dump a bunch of frozen fish sticks on a sheet pan along with French fries and slide it all in the oven for dinner. It was a humble, working class meal. The fish sticks were terrible, so I mostly ate French fries on those nights, and for most of my life, I just assumed that good fish sticks didn't exist. Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks didn't do anything to rectify my avoidance.

The problem here is that these fish sticks are made with minced fish. This gives the fish sticks a pasty texture that's highly unappetizing. These fish sticks are also heavy on the breading, and because the fish is so pulverized, they end up tasting more like fish-flavored breadsticks than anything else. If you're in the mood for some decent fish sticks, spare yourself the suffering and steer clear of these.

When you're in the mood for fish sticks, go with Gorton's. These are the fish sticks that made me realize not all fish sticks are created equal. The major selling point here is that these fish sticks contain whole filets instead of minced fish. By using whole filets, each fish stick delivers a solid piece of meat that's juicy and also has some texture.

The breading on these fish sticks is significantly crispy, which gives them some nice crunchiness and makes the winning texture even more enjoyable. The flavor of the breading is also good — it tastes seasoned without being too salty, which is a major plus when it comes to frozen food. Just remember that if you intend to buy these specific fish sticks, make sure you buy the kind that uses whole filets — Gorton's also sells fish sticks made with minced fish. Also, it's totally worth it to whip up some easy homemade tartar sauce to dip these in.

Don't get me wrong, here: I love salmon. In fact, it's one of my favorite foods; I even shared some tips for cooking salmon a while back. Whether it's sliced raw for sushi or seared in my cast iron skillet, I honestly can't get enough of it. As a salmon enthusiast, I find myself buying it at all kinds of stores, butcher shops, and in frozen food sections. When I saw the price of Fremont Fish Market's frozen salmon at Aldi, I decided to roll the dice and take my chances. But I lost money on that bet.

The first thing that struck me was how small each filet is. Every piece in these bags is thin and tiny. That presents its own problems — it's very easy to overcook such a small piece of fish. I love tender flakes of salmon, and I find that's much easier to achieve with a slick slab of it. That's not what you get with Fremont Fish Market's salmon, though, leading to a lot of disappointing chunks of so-so fish.

The good news is that I managed to cook a few of these tiny filets just about perfectly. The bad news is that this salmon had a strange, fishy taste that I don't normally associate with salmon. According to the expiration date, the salmon still had plenty of time, so I have no idea what was going on here — and frankly, I don't want to know.

I love a crispy basket of fish and chips with a little malt vinegar and tartar sauce. Hook me up with an ice cold beer to go along with that and I'm in heaven. But sometimes, I want to satisfy that craving without going out to a restaurant or cooking everything from scratch. In times like these, I turn to frozen crispy battered fish filets. I'm happy to report that Great Value's crispy fish filets are surprisingly tasty.

Made from whole filets of pollock, this battered fish is tender, light, and flaky — much better than I would've expected from Great Value. The coating is nice and crunchy, too. I think the main takeaway here is to make sure to cook these long enough to get a nice golden brown color. When they're nice and crispy, they're at their best — but if the oven isn't hot enough or they're pulled out too soon and the batter is even slightly mushy, the filets are ruined.

If I don't have these with French fries, then I'll usually bake them golden brown and cut them into strips to have fried fish tacos topped with some jalapeno slaw. Cheap, tasty, and easy — what more could you want?

Crab cakes are another one of my favorite seafood dishes, and like many of the other selections here, I often order them at restaurants or buy them pre-made at the grocery store. Going through the trouble of making crab cakes just isn't something I'm often inclined to do. I think it's important to make a distinction here and say that I would never expect store-bought crab cakes to be as good as what I get from a restaurant. But there's still a line of quality that I think shouldn't be crossed. Fremont Fish Market's crab cakes cross that line.

The problem with these crab cakes is that the flavor of crab meat is almost nonexistent. Simply put, when I eat crab cakes, I want to taste some crab. But somehow, these fail to deliver on that very simple expectation. On the plus side, these crab cakes do have some nice pieces of bell pepper in them, which adds some visual appeal and nice flavor. But the mere presence of bell peppers in these crab cakes isn't enough to save them from mediocrity. When crab cakes don't taste like crab, there's simply no saving them.

The recommendations provided were based on my experiences with each item. I have tried all of the frozen seafood products featured in this article and carefully considered their strengths and weaknesses. Flavor and texture were the main factors that I used to select each product. I also weighed the preparation process of each item, which ranged from simply heating some of them up in the oven to fully cooking chunks of frozen fish.