The Japanese Seasoning Blend You Should Never Skip At Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is known for a lot of things, but for its collection of unique seasonings especially. From the ketchup-flavored sprinkle to the everything but the bagel seasoning mix, the grocer never seizes to surprise shoppers in the seasoning aisle. But, alas, Tasting Table could only name one of them as the best. After ranking 18 Trader Joe's seasoning blends from worst to best, that turned out to be the brand's take on the Japanese seasoning known as furikake.

What impressed taste testers particularly was the seasoning blend's simplicity. In short, this seasoning blend doesn't do too much. Sticking to the very basics of a traditional furikake blend, Trader Joe's succeeds in balancing the flavors of dried seaweed and sesame seeds to create a bold seasoning blend that is simultaneously forgiving — so much so that you'll be sprinkling it on everything, just because you can.

Combining the rich, umami flavor of nori with the nutty, earthiness of sesame seeds, Trader Joe's impressed Tasting Table's taste testers with its execution of the classic Japanese seasoning. Dubbed "Nori Komi Furikake Japanese Multi-Purpose Seasoning" on the shaker, this blend stands up to its name in that it can be used on everything from fish to vegetables and rice to popcorn. You'll definitely want to add it to your shopping list.

Traditional to Japan, furikake is most commonly used on rice and rice-based snacks like sushi rolls, hand rolls, musubi, and onigiri. However, you can sprinkle it on anything you want to add a boost of nutty, savory, umami flavor and chewy crunchy texture. Similar to Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, that means you could put it on everything from your instant ramen to your avocado toast. But furikake is also said to work particularly well sprinkled on top of pasta, grain bowls, french fries, popcorn, and chips.

Given its roots in East Asia, furikake works inherently with fish. Try it out on any pan-seared variety you like, or sprinkle it on top of anything you add tinned fish to. In an episode of the YouTube series, "Snacked," Chef Jose Andres shared that he likes to add the seasoning blend to his omelet sandwich which, uncoincidentally, also included canned tuna. Considering umami is the missing ingredient in traditional and plant-based tuna salads alike, Trader Joe's furikake could be just what yours needs.