Best Frozen Popcorn Shrimp for Poppin’ in Your Piehole

The best frozen popcorn shrimp are the training wheels of the frozen seafood world. If you weren’t raised on seafood (like my Nebraskan husband, for instance), popcorn shrimp can be a more palatable option than, say, fried fish fillets or big, juicy jumbo fried shrimp. They’re small. They aren’t intimidating. With a side of french fries, they make a totally acceptable main dish for dinner, but they’re a good snack, too, since they cook up relatively quickly (we made all of these in the office toaster oven). 

When we sat down to taste a handful of popular brands of frozen popcorn shrimp, we were looking for small shrimp that still pack a lot of flavor—if the shrimp are big, they aren’t really popcorn shrimp anymore. The shrimp should be moist and meaty (not mushy), but the breading shouldn’t get soggy. Popcorn shrimp should be crispy as hell. Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of frozen popcorn shrimp to choose from for this taste test, but I will say that our number one blew the rest right out of the water. Because they’re shrimp, get it? Okay, let’s get to it.

Best for Kids

Gorton’s Popcorn Shrimp

ShopRite

Visually, these are the most like popcorn shrimp you’d get at a restaurant. They’re itty bitty. Curled. Cute. They also taste the least like shrimp in a way that I think picky kids would like. They’re very benign, but I could eat a lot of them, especially with some cocktail sauce. If you’re feeding kids who like small, nearly flavorless foods and definitely do not like seafood flavor, this is the best frozen popcorn shrimp. If you love shrimp, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you do not like seafood, eating these will make you feel like a big boy. 

Credit: Liv Averett / ShopRite

Rating:

7.5/10

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Best Big

SeaPak Oven Crispy Popcorn Shrimp

Instacart

Size wise, these sort of push the boundaries of what you think of when you think of popcorn shrimp. The breading is very fresh tasting and has a nice amount of salt. It’s crunchy but also a little pillowy around the shrimp. It’s not soggy at all though. The shrimp have bite, but not a huge amount of flavor, but I get the sense people aren’t really buying popcorn shrimp for big shrimp flavor.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

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Best Medium

Kroger Wild Caught Crunchy Popcorn Shrimp

Instacart

If you like a salty fried morsel of food, you’ll like these. The breading is crunchy and well cooked and the shrimp are firm and taste like shrimp. They’re salty little suckers, but it brings out some of that briny from-the-sea flavor. Serve these with something tangy and sharp like a remoulade or tartar sauce for a great app. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

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Best of the Best

Fremont Fish Market Oven Crispy Popcorn Shrimp

Instacart

These frozen popcorn shrimp from Aldi are pretty much perfect. They aren’t remotely soggy. They are so wonderfully crunchy. The shrimp aren’t too big and aren’t too small, and they’re perfectly moist and tender. The best part is that the breading actually has flavor. A little garlic powder and a little onion powder really go a long way. These are restaurant quality, in my opinion. They taste freshly fried. They’re oily without being too oily. Delicious! 

Credit: Liv Averett

Rating:

10/10

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