11 Frozen Shrimp Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

Yahoo

16-05-2025

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Shrimp is a versatile, protein-rich, low-fat shellfish that is quick to prepare, making it as convenient as it is delicious. The sweet, briny, ocean-like flavor and meaty texture make shrimp the ideal base for some of our favorite meals, like a summer shrimp salad, honey walnut shrimp, and shrimp fried rice.
As tasty as the crustacean is, it can be a struggle to keep shrimp fresh. The amount of time uncooked shrimp lasts in the fridge is short, typically only a few days. Fortunately, seafood producers across the country offer frozen shrimp in various raw and cooked preparations with a variety of sauces, breadings, and combinations.
Though bags and boxes of frozen shrimp line the freezer section of your local grocery store, these brands are not all alike. Many focus on sustainable fishing practices to deliver the cleanest shrimp possible to your grocer's freezer. Others offer a range of unique products that are beyond the ordinary. Some are more nutritious than others, while still others offer great affordability.
Taking these elements into consideration, I taste-tested a range of frozen shrimp products from a group of nationally available brands to find the best. Evaluating each overall brand's portfolio of products in addition to the products I tasted, I decided which producer you should stock your freezer with and which to avoid. Here are the 11 best and worst shrimp brands ranked.
Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.
Read more: 7 Costco Kirkland Brand Frozen Meals, Ranked Worst To Best
I had high hopes for Kroger's Private Selection brand of frozen shrimp. After all, Private Selection is an artisan-inspired collection of products that is supposed to provide unique gourmet offerings different from that of a typical store brand. All Kroger brand products work to protect natural habitats and support sustainable agriculture, reducing the environmental footprint through its Zero Waste, Zero Hunger Foundation.
I chose to sample the brand's wild-caught Argentinean red shrimp caught in icy cold water off the coast of Argentina. Argentinean red shrimp are some of the world's best. These cold-water shrimp caught off the South American coast of Argentina are usually incredibly meaty, almost like lobster. They are tender and have a clean, sweet, oceanic flavor. Sadly, Private Selection's wild-caught Argentinean red shrimp were none of these things.
Opening the bag of frozen shrimp released an overwhelming fishy aroma. Cooking the shrimp took some of these aromas away. However, a funkiness lingered, ruining my shrimp scampi dinner. Though the peeled and deveined shrimp were large, they did not have the same meaty texture as a lobster. Although the shrimp were some of the most expensive on the list, costing $12.99 for a 16-ounce bag at my local store, the shrimp were mushier than the other brands' Argentine shrimp, like those from Kirkland Signature or Trader Joe's. I appreciate that Kroger offers a satisfaction guarantee for its store brand products. This item's poor quality would warrant a return.
The Great American Seafood Imports Company imports and distributes shrimp from around the world, supporting environmentally responsible fishing practices for its wild-caught and farm-raised shellfish. While I appreciate the dedication to sustainability, these shrimp left much to be desired.
I tried the Great American Seafood Imports Company cooked shrimp with the tail on, peeled, and deveined. Farm-raised in Indonesia, the bag of shrimp was $16.98 at my local Kroger store for a 32-ounce bag.
I love the taste of boiled shrimp, especially dipped into spicy, horseradish-rich cocktail sauce, balancing the natural sweetness of the shellfish. I thawed the shellfish in the refrigerator overnight as it is the best way to thaw frozen shrimp. However, once thawed, the shrimp was watery, mushy, and unappetizing instead of having a firm, springy texture. The flavor did not have the sweetness or meatiness expected from the shellfish. Instead, its taste was lacking, tasting more like imitation crab than shrimp. I needed to dunk the shrimp in a bowl of cocktail sauce to impart any flavor. Comparing the taste and quality of Great American Seafood Imports Company's offering to other brands in the ranking places it low on the list.
Gorton's fishery began in 1849 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Still, it wasn't until 1953 that Gorton's began offering frozen fish sticks, the first of its kind. The brand also features an assortment of frozen shrimp, mainly in a breaded style. I tried Gorton's butterfly shrimp, which came in a 9.2-ounce box containing about 10 shrimp and was less than $5 from Amazon.
After a 19-minute oven bake, longer than it took for some of the other brand's products to cook, golden brown shrimp emerged. Biting into one of the well-sized products, I was surprised to find the meat inside was popcorn shrimp size. The dish was mostly breading. While the size of the shrimp was tiny, the panko breading was well-seasoned without too much salt. The shrimp was crunchy, and the breading was flaky. The toasty, golden brown color made their appearance appetizing.
A plus is that the brand certifies responsible sourcing of 99% of its seafood through the Marine Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices. The affordability, sustainability, and satisfying taste rank Gorton's higher than the other two.
Margaritaville delivers a taste of the islands in its frozen shrimp. The inspiration comes from the Margaritaville Restaurants, founded by the late singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffet. Margaritaville's shrimp offerings are unique and diverse. You can choose between options like Baja Buffalo, Jammin' Jerk, and Mexican street corn, costing $6.99 at Target. The Margaritaville Resorts are transparent in its sustainability efforts, developing eco-friendly properties worldwide. However, Margaritaville Foods does not share its sustainability actions on its packaging or website.
I tried the Jammin' Jerk and Key West Chili Citrus shrimp. The dishes are easy to prepare by adding them to a skillet on medium heat. No additional water or oil was necessary. The coating on the shrimp creates the sauce. And, the shrimp did not become rubbery after a quick 10-minute saute.
Though slightly sweeter than I was expecting due to the inclusion of sugar, the Jammin' Jerk Shrimp also has heat with a spicy Jamaican seasoning. Margaritaville's Key West chili citrus shrimp was buttery and creamy with a rich lemon sauce. I did not taste the heat expected in a chili sauce. Instead, the citrus was the star here. To complete the meal, I added pasta, and there was enough sauce to dress the entire dish perfectly.
The size of Margaritaville's shrimp is where this brand falls short. The shrimp is very small, as is the 8-ounce packaging. Each box only contains about 12 small shrimp. Still, the products I tried were flavorful, with creamy sauces coating tender white shrimp.
Kroger's Simple Truth brand, launched in 2012, offers organic and natural products for the grocery store chain. Though organic foods can be more expensive than non-organic due to the strict production guidelines and limitations, Simple Truth aims to offer its products at affordable prices. Its extra large cooked shrimp is $10.99 for 16 ounces at my local store.
In addition to affordability, Simple Truth's cooked shrimp quality is high. The perfectly cooked crustaceans are tender, meaty, and juicy with just the right amount of bite. Simple Truth's shrimp have a mild, sweet flavor with a delicate creaminess that is not the least bit fishy. The 26-30 count per pound shrimp were the perfect size for a hearty shrimp cocktail appetizer.
The source of Simple Truth's farm-raised shrimp is from suppliers that follow the brand's responsible fishing guidelines. My bag's shrimp origin was India. The only downside to my Simple Truth shrimp was that many were not deveined, which contradicts the packaging statement. And, the number of shrimp products from the producer is limited in comparison to other brands. As this is a ranking of a brand's total shrimp portfolio, the Kroger brand lands lower on the list. Still, Simple Truth's quality, size, texture, commitment to responsible fishing, and clean, delicious taste checked many boxes.
Red Lobster debuted a brand of frozen dishes inspired by some of the restaurant's signature items in 2023, including Cheddar Bay Biscuit shrimp. It combines two beloved features of the brand — Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Endless Shrimp. The 10-ounce box contains about 12 shrimp with flavorful biscuit breading. The breading was well-seasoned, crunchy, golden brown, and tasted like Red Lobster's flaky biscuits. Inside, the butterflied shrimp were large, buttery, and rich in flavor.
In addition to the Cheddar Bay Biscuit option, the brand also offers herbaceous Parmesan-crusted garlic and herb-stuffed shrimp. Though the 6.8-ounce package is small, only containing about eight shrimp, the product is tasty. Each shrimp became golden brown in the oven, producing a crunchy-on-the-outside and gooey-on-the-inside, large, butterflied crustacean. The shrimp were firm and tender, with buttery, garlic, and soft herbs flavor with a flaky, crisp, cheesy exterior.
Red Lobster follows a detailed set of initiatives for sustainability through its Seafood with Standards program in its restaurants, including ocean conservation and responsibly sourcing its shrimp. Red Lobster at Home directs you to the sustainability work of the whole company on its website, leading me to believe it follows the same initiatives. The price of Red Lobster's shrimp is high for the amount of shrimp in each box — $8.99 at my local store. Still, the shrimp's flavorful taste, reminiscent of the restaurant's dishes, ranks the brand high. However, the limited number of shrimp and the brand's limited portfolio keep it from climbing higher.
Trader Joe's raw Argentinian red shrimp is one more reason to love TJ's. Large, meaty, tender, and sweet, the shrimp have a flavor that mimics lobster. While meaty, they are not tough or the least bit rubbery after cooking. Instead, they maintain a firm, toothsome texture with just enough bite and a mouth-watering briny salinity that was delicious with a light lemon and butter sauce.
Costing $11.99, the 16-ounce bag of wild-caught, raw Argentinian red shrimp is one of the best seafood to buy at Trader Joe's, earning a top-five spot in this ranking. If you prefer to purchase your shrimp with a prepared sauce, TJ's also sells a version of frozen raw Argentinian red shrimp with ginger garlic sauce. These crustaceans have the same meaty, lobster-like qualities with a zingy Asian-inspired sauce that cooks in minutes. Trader Joe's offers a variety of other shrimp options under the store brand inspired by some of our favorite restaurant dishes, like honey walnut and mini shrimp bao buns. The grocery store does not share if it responsibly sources its shrimp or follows any sustainability efforts.
Costco's store brand Kirkland Signature offers a variety of raw and cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, prepared shrimp products, and wild-caught red Argentine shrimp. These jumbo, tail-off, peeled, and deveined red shrimp from Argentina are a must-buy seafood from Costco, as they are sweet, plump, meaty, and tender.
Over 70% of Kirkland Signature's raw and pre-cooked farm-raised shrimp were responsibly sourced from Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified farms in 2024. That number is growing every year. Most of these farm-raised shrimp come from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Ecuador without chemicals or contaminants. My bag of raw 31-40 count shrimp came from Thailand.
Flash-cooking the shrimp produced a texture that was firm on the outside yet tender inside. The shrimp became bright pink, with each having the perfect curl. The flavor was sweet, rich, and clean, with a delicate creaminess.
Pound for pound, Costco also offers the most affordable raw shrimp option on the list, with the generous-sized, 2-pound bag costing less than $13. Other brands sell 1-pound bags of shrimp for around that price. And, like all of the Kirkland Signature products, Costco provides a money-back satisfaction guarantee. The affordability, growing sustainability efforts, and palatable taste give Kirkland Signature an above-average ranking.
SeaPak began as the Sea Island Packing Company in 1948. By the following year, the company had perfected a flash-freezing process known as individual quick freezing to maintain shrimp's natural flavor and texture. As the oceans supply products, SeaPak is dedicated to protecting them, working with suppliers who follow responsible fishing practices.
The brand's shrimp offerings include jumbo butterfly shrimp and a delicious, spicy Cajun-style shrimp. Its products cost less than $10 at local grocery stores. SeaPak jumbo butterfly shrimp lived up to the name as they were large. Though not 10-20 or 20-40 count-per-pound size, they were the largest shrimp of the fried options I tried, with a succulent flavor. Oven-baking the shrimp for a quick 15 minutes created a batter that was crispy and flavorful, with a salty and nutty savoriness.
SeaPak's skillet-style shrimp were smaller than the breaded shrimp. However, what they lacked in size, they made up for in taste. SeaPak's Cajun-style shrimp delivered a spicy kick of cayenne pepper. The preparation was easy, taking about 10 minutes in a hot skillet, producing tender shrimp in a buttery, creamy, well-seasoned pan sauce. The sauce of real butter and spices translates to unctuous flavor, with SeaPak's Cajun-style shrimp having a satiating taste that is delicious over pasta.
The company's innovation earns it high marks. Where would frozen shrimp be without SeaPak? It, along with the brand's mouth-watering flavors and sustainable focus, gives the brand a top-three ranking.
Aqua Star began in 1990 with a dedication to bringing customers quality, sustainable seafood products. The brand offers all types of seafood in raw or cooked preparations, in meals, bowls, medleys, and more, including a plentiful selection of shrimp dishes.
Aqua Star shrimp scampi with linguini had a creamy, garlicky, buttery taste with just a hint of white wine and citrus adding acidity, lifting the overall flavor. The size of the shrimp was small, and the package contained a limited number of shrimp. Still, the size and amount of shrimp were comparable to other brands of skillet shrimp dishes. However, Aqua Star's shrimp taste was more delicious and had a reasonable price of $6.99.
Another option I tried recently was Aqua Star breaded butterfly shrimp, available in a weighty 24-ounce bag containing 45-50 large shrimp. Its $12.99 price point only costs a few dollars more than other brands' 9 or 12-ounce options. They were delicious, with a flavorful breading that became crunchy outside while the meaty, flavorsome shrimp inside remained tender with an oceanic salinity. The overall flavor, Aqua Star's affordable pricing, range of diverse products, and environmental focus rank it as a top brand.
Northern Chef's wild Baja shrimp is the best frozen shrimp I have tried. The wild-caught shrimp is from Magdalena Bay off of Baja California, Mexico. Working with a focus on sustainability, Northern Chef's wild shrimp are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified. MSC is a non-profit organization that sets sustainable fishing standards, promotes biodiversity, and works to end overfishing.
The cooked wild Baja shrimp were also the most appetizing frozen shrimp I have seen. The extra large, 20-40 shrimp per pound crustaceans had an eye-catching zesty pink color. Tasting the perfectly cooked shrimp, I found the texture was plump and firm outside and tender inside, with a springy bite. The flavor was creamy, succulent, and sweet. It would pair well with a spicy Mexican shrimp cocktail.
The brand also offers a range of breaded options, most of which are gluten-free, including its Boom Boom shrimp with 80% whole shrimp, which I also tried. After 20 minutes in the oven, the shrimp had a perfectly crunchy bite. Though gluten-free, the breading didn't have the dense texture of some gluten-free products. Instead, it was light, airy, and crisp. The shrimp came with a spicy Thai chili dipping sauce that added pop to the shrimp's naturally sweet taste.
The shrimp inside the breading was small, comparable to other brands. The cost was lower, though, less than $5. That, along with the variety of options, unique flavors, superb quality, and the company's sustainability focus, place the brand on top.
To create the ranking, I taste-tested a group of offerings from each shrimp brand based on availability and the scope of products offered by the manufacturer. I also considered the quality of the shrimp and the ease of preparation. I also accounted for the brand's sustainability efforts, as responsible fishing practices are important in an industry that historically has been ridden with dirty shrimp. In the not-so-distant past, high amounts of imported shrimp contained contaminants, chemicals, and pesticides. Today, some companies are taking action to eliminate this in their products, as noted.
Price was a consideration with the understanding that cost fluctuated depending on where the items were sold and the type of product they were. Where it was warranted, a highly affordable price was considered a bonus point for the brand. Nutrition also varied across brands and products, making it not factorable.
To ensure an accurate comparison of the raw, uncooked shrimp to the frozen shrimp brands that came with prepared sauces, I cooked each raw shrimp with lemon and butter. The preparation was similar to the butter and citrus sauces from some of the products I tried. Frozen shrimp is a quick-cooking shellfish, so the preparation often took less time than some other brands' recommended cooking times. I tried the cooked shrimp independently, without sauce to evaluate, though served them with cocktail sauce to create the classic appetizer. Following this method, I could determine the quality of the brand's shrimp along with its texture, meatiness, and flavor.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.