Best Frozen Seafood We’ve Tasted at Sporked

The best frozen seafood should not seem like frozen food. It should convince everyone at the dinner table that it was freshly battered or marinated or seasoned, and cooked. It should also be convenient and quick to prepare.

We love frozen seafood here at Sporked. The “fresh” seafood you see at the grocery store is often previously frozen and thawed, so why not just buy the frozen version? Frozen seafood is great for quick, easy protein for at-home cooks. We’ve tasted a lot of frozen seafood here at Sporked. From fried shrimp to frozen scallops to preseasoned fish fillets to a frozen seafood boil worthy of the Bayou, this is the best frozen seafood you’ll find at the grocery store.

Best Frozen Salmon Burgers

Changing Seas Wild Alaska Salmon Burgers

Amazon

I’ve been searching for good frozen salmon burgers for a long time. Why are they all so bad? Did I finally find the holy grail of frozen salmon burgers? Thick and silky and perfectly seasoned? Not quite. But Changing Seas makes the best frozen salmon burgers I’ve had yet. They’re more like fish cakes than they are burger patties, but the dill-laced fish tastes fresh. Cook them up in the air fryer, toss them on some brioche buns with tartar sauce, and you’ll be satisfied. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

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Best Frozen Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Good & Gather Uncured Bacon Wrapped Scallop

Target

While Target’s frozen sea scallops weren’t the absolute best frozen sea scallops, the store’s Good & Gather frozen bacon-wrapped scallops are some of the best frozen seafood I’ve ever had in my time tasting foods at Sporked. You get individual bacon-wrapped scallops, each skewered on a toothpick, that you can quickly cook up in the air fryer (pro tip: leave them in a little bit longer than the instructions tell you). The bacon gets crisp without becoming too dry. The scallop manages to stay tender. These are grade A frozen appetizers—on par with some of the passed apps I’ve had at weddings. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Frozen Fried Shrimp

Kirkland Breaded Panko Shrimp

Costco

Costco’s Kirkland brand panko-breaded shrimp were, hands down, the best frozen fried shrimp we tried in our frozen fried shrimp taste test. The shrimp are huge and juicy. The breading crisps up nicely. You could eat these alone, with tartar sauce, as the filling in a Baja shrimp taco, or on top of a rice bowl. They’re also perfect for a homemade shrimp po’boy. These are truly the best frozen fried shrimp you can buy at the grocery store. — Jordan Myrick

Read the full ranking of the best frozen fried shrimp

Credit: Liv Averett / Costco

Rating:

10/10

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Best Frozen Scallops

Kroger Sea Scallops

Kroger

I tried frozen scallops from Kroger, Walmart, and Target, and Kroger’s were the best by far. I thawed and seared each brand, and Kroger’s cooked nicely, getting a good brown crust while staying tender on the inside. They’re not rubbery at all—in fact, they’re downright silky—and they have a clean, mild scallop flavor. Plus, they’re big and fat, exactly like a scallop should be. If you’re searching for the best frozen scallops, head to your nearest Kroger (or Kroger-owned store). — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Kroger

Rating:

10/10

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Best Restaurant Dupe

Alaskan Leader Seafoods Black Cod

Costco

We’re always on the look out for good cheap dupes. (Got any tips? Send them over to us at info@sporked.com.) And this may be one of the best values we’ve tasted so far. While many of the dupes we’ve tried have been for things like pricey jarred marinara sauce or fast food items, this is a dupe for Nobu’s miso black cod. Nobu, if you aren’t familiar, is a chain of high-end restaurants frequented by celebs and known for its expensive sushi and silky, time-intensive miso black cod. You’ll pay close to $50 for a single serving at Nobu. But you’ll pay just $27 for five fillets from Costco. The fish cooks up buttery and delicious, rich with umami flavor. It’s some of the best frozen seafood at Costco and definitely some of the best frozen seafood, period. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Costco

Rating:

10/10

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Best Frozen Seafood Boil

Trader Joe’s Seafood Boil

Trader Joe’s

We were all totally wowed when we first tried Trader Joe’s frozen seafood boil. All the components cook up perfectly—the tilapia is flaky, the shrimp is tender, the potatoes aren’t soggy, the corn isn’t chewy. And the flavor is just right. It’s smoky and briny and buttery, with a great spice that builds as you eat without ever becoming overwhelming. We tasted Aldi’s frozen seafood boil to see how it compared and it was no competition. Trader Joe’s makes the best frozen seafood boil, hands down. — Justine Sterling

Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

10/10

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Best Frozen Salmon

Trader Joe’s Atlantic Salmon Fillets Farm Raised

Trader Joe’s frozen salmon cooks up buttery and silky. It has just the right amount of salmon flavor without tasting too fishy. Even Sporked’s resident salmon skeptic Gwynedd Stuart appreciated this frozen fish. The fillets are thick and long. They’re the start of a great meal—and, because they’re from TJ’s, you know they’re not too expensive. — Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best frozen salmon

Credit: Merc

Rating:

10/10

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Best Frozen Fish Fillets

Great Value Crispy Battered Fish Fillets

Walmart

These crispy, dainty frozen fried fish fillets from Walmart are perfect for whatever you have planned. The batter is light and gets extra crispy in the air fryer. And the cod is clean tasting and flaky. You can serve them alongside some buttered peas and french fries for a classic fish and chips-style meal, or you can toss one or two on a roll for a Filet-O-Fish at home. This is some of the best frozen fish to keep in your freezer at all times. — Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best fried frozen fish fillets

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Coconut Shrimp

Whole Catch Crunchy Coconut Butterfly Shrimp

Amazon

Having a party? Grab a box of Whole Foods’ Whole Catch Crunchy Coconut Butterfly Shrimp. They are easily the best frozen coconut shrimp on the market. The shrimp are plump and large. The coating is perfectly coconutty without tasting like pancake batter (a common coconut shrimp problem). The only downside is that they don’t come with a dipping sauce. But when your coconut shrimp are this good, do you really need sauce? — Jordan Myrick

Read the full ranking of the best coconut shrimp

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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Best Seasoned

C. Worthy & Co. Blackened Salmon

Target

We’d never considered buying frozen fish that is seasoned and ready to cook. We can season our own fish, thank you. Or at least that’s how we felt before trying C. Worthy & Co. Blackened Salmon. This stuff is incredible. The fish is moist, the seasoning is plentiful. One taster literally said “hubba, hubba” out loud. This isn’t just the best seasoned, ready-to-cook frozen fish, this is some of the best frozen seafood in general. — Jordan Myrick

Read the full ranking of the best seasoned frozen fish fillets

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Frozen Fish Sticks

365 Breaded Fish Sticks

Amazon

Fish sticks are so fun. They’re so nostalgic. That being said, 365’s fish sticks aren’t just for kids. They are the best fish sticks because they could please people of all ages. They have fish flavor without being fishy. Plus, the fish and the breading don’t separate when you bite into them, making one beautifully homogenous fish stick. Even if you don’t typically shop at Whole Foods, you should swing by to grab these. They’re so dang delicious! — Jordan Myrick

Read the full ranking of the best frozen fish sticks

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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