We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Whether it’s the wrong season or you live far from the ocean, frozen shrimp are a great resource for a tasty seafood meal. While we’ve got many tips for cooking frozen shrimp, it all starts with choosing the right brand. So we tasted and ranked frozen shrimp brands and found that the absolute best frozen shrimp brand is Northern Chef.
Our ranking relied on many different factors other than simply taste, texture, and meatiness. We also looked at price, sustainability practices, and the diversity of shrimp products each brand offers. With all these factors in mind, Northern Chef was a clear winner, with multiple frozen shrimp options like Boom Boom Shrimp with Thai chili sauce and Coconut Shrimp, both with gluten-free breading that was light and crispy. However, Northern Chef Wild Baja shrimp are the true winners that landed the brand our number one ranking.
These wild-caught shrimp are caught off the coast of Baja California and certifiably sustainable, receiving the coveted Marine Stewardship Council seal for best fishing practices. Apart from feeling good about buying shrimp that isn’t overfished or farmed, the Baja wild-caught shrimp are absolutely delicious. They’re giant, ultra meaty, and taste like they’re fresh out of the ocean. You wouldn’t know they came from a frozen bag; a quick saute rendered these frozen shrimp perfectly plump and springy with a savory, umami-rich flavor that’s anything but fishy. Plus, they’re cooked (though you can also buy frozen raw shrimp), deveined and peeled, saving you a bunch of preparation time.
More glowing reviews and recipe ideas for Northern Chef frozen shrimp
You can find many five-star reviews from customers who bought the frozen cooked shrimp varieties from Northern Chef. The Boom Boom Shrimp received rave reviews from people who bought them at BJ’s Wholesale for their tempura-like crispness and versatility. Safeway customers said that the Northern Chef coconut shrimp were a fan favorite for crunchy and flavorful bites that are also gluten-free. These products are certainly the most convenient because they’re pre-cooked, breaded, and seasoned. However the Wild Baja shrimp are the tastiest, highest quality, and largest. Plus, they give you more of a blank slate for personalization.
Customers at Sprouts were very complimentary about the size of the shrimp as well as their fresh flavor. While a lot of home chefs opt to bread or deep fry frozen shrimp to mask unpleasant flavors or rubbery textures, Sprouts customers said the Northern Chef Wild Baja shrimp were big and tasty enough to use in boiled or cold-boiled applications. This means you could use them in this recipe for a classic shrimp cocktail. They’d also taste delicious as part of your next seafood boil to season with this zesty Cajun Crab boil seasoning available online via Amazon. You can also simply thaw them and marinade them to use in this recipe for grilled shrimp tacos.
