Friday, February 19, 2016

Trader Joe's Pacific Flounder with Crab Meat Stuffing

Here in Pittsburgh, we take Lenten Fridays seriously. How seriously? Just click here - fish fry season! Any Catholic church worth it's weight holds their own, though no one yet can ably explain to me why eating a giant slab of fried fish is exactly a "sacrifice." Eh well. Bonus points to any fish fry with homemade pierogi. And if you don't know what a fish fry even is - here's a spot-on comedic primer.

But...you can't always make it to one. That's our no-fry Friday last Friday. We did make it to Trader Joe's though, saw his Pacific Flounder with Crab Meat Stuffing, and in case you find yourself in similar predicament and motivation today....

Pass on by. Not that great. Not awful. But not good. All in all, this stuffed seafood contrivance is a good idea...but just lacks any taste. Like, none. No herbs. No spice. Nothing from the cheese or breadcrumbs or saucy mayo stuff or anything else listed (the label says bell peppers, we didn't spot any!).  Just soft, flaky fish of the decent variety, filled with mushy nondescript crab with the occasional crumby grit or saucy splooge.

Both Sandy and I ended up after a couple bites reaching for the brown sugar BBQ sauce we had out for our fries just to add a little something to make our dinners actually taste like something. In all, these aren't the worst things you could spend $4ish on at TJ's, but there's lots better. Maybe these could be a Lenten sacrifice.

Bottom line: Trader Joe's Pacific Flounder with Crab Meat Stuffing: 5 out of 10 Golden Spoons  

5 comments:

  1. That fish fry map is crazy! My nephew is a big fan of the frozen battered cod filets- usually as fish tacos.
    Ttrockwood

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    1. We've had those - really good, and a good choice for tacos :)

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  2. I'm really surprised by this review. I absolutely love these things! However, I have never just kept them plain. I always scatter a few thin slices of butter (or drizzle of olive oil) around them on the baking dish, along with some lemon juice, and sometimes a splash of wine if I'm feeling adventurous. It makes a little bit of sauce for them that is phenomenal! I usually spoon it over the top when they're done. I guess they must taste really plain without that. I urge you to give them another try with my "recipe!" I make them often because they are so quick, easy, and delicious. I have actually been without them for a while, as several TJ's in NJ have recently taken them off the shelves because of "distributor issues." My only complaint is that the packaging is annoying to deal with.

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  3. Been looking for these in the chicago area for a year. Can't find them anymore.

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    1. I used to get these all the time and then they stopped stocking them. I asked at my local TJs and they said they won't be getting them back either -- something about distributor issues. Too bad. They were my favorite!

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