7 Costco Frozen Seafood Staples, Ranked

Plain seafood is fantastic fare to keep in your freezer, allowing you to enjoy it in many forms — from fried to baked to slathered in sauce. Generally, seafood can be a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, but the nutrients may vary based on the specific product you get. If you have a larger family or want to have greater quantities on hand, it only makes sense to source it from a warehouse like Costco. 

I love trying out items from the retailer because it allows me to shop in bulk without having to head to the store as often. Rather than purchasing pre-made meals, I wanted to grab some of the brand's plain, unseasoned, raw seafood options, which included scallops, shrimp, and a range of fish to scallops. Your store may have additional items, but these items were what was available during my visit.

Opting for unseasoned acts as a blank slate to season and cook as desired while also having more of a chance to appreciate the actual flavor of the food rather than a pre-made batter or seasoning. I based my rankings on a mix of flavor, texture, cost, and protein content of the item. I made a seasoning blend and used it for all the fish for some form of continuity, but you can learn more about this at the end in the methodology slide.

7. Kirkland wild caught mahi mahi

I thawed the mahi mahi according to instructions, taking it out of the packaging and placing it in an airtight dish to thaw overnight. The appearance had a pale pink tinge to it, at least in comparison to the whiter fish on this list. After thawing, I could tell it was a sturdy fish; it held up after transferring, seasoning, and placing it in the hot pan. It also retained its structure after cooking. I liked that it had a nice char on it.

The packaging was teal in color, and the fish were boneless and skinless. It also depicted the mahi mahi seasoned with black and white sesame seeds as well as a side asparagus, so this could be a way to serve it. The mahi mahi had a dense, flaky texture and a mild flavor that remained subtle under the seasoning I used. This would be tasty in a pan-seared lemon caper mahi mahi with a bright and citrusy marinate and buttery sauce to give it added flavor. This fish comes in a 3-pound bag and has 21 grams of protein per serving. It was a perfectly good fish, but I preferred others on this list, especially because the mahi mahi texture was so dense.

6. Kirkland wild caught Alaska halibut

The Kirkland wild-caught Alaska halibut comes hand-trimmed, boneless, and skinless. The bag had a deep purple color to help distinguish it from the other frozen fish packaging, which was helpful considering how stuffed my freezer was with these frozen seafood options. The photo on the packaging has it served with limes and a vegetable skewer with mushrooms, bell pepper, and onions.

This was a very flaky, dense white fish with a mild taste. It was delicate as I took it out of the pan but maintained its structure without falling apart. I tried the pub-style halibut in my Costco frozen seafood ranking and reached a similar decision there as far as the taste and texture of the fish — dense and needs a bit of seasoning or a condiment to give it oomph. It would pair well with bold seasonings to help it stand out. I preferred the texture of this to the mahi mahi just because it was slightly less dense.

The halibut comes in a 2-pound bag and has a whopping 37 grams of protein, just under the salmon. It also was also tied with the salmon as the highest-priced item. I preferred the texture of this to the mahi mahi just because it was slightly less dense.

5. Farm raised tilapia

The Kirkland farm-raised tilapia loin packaging said this is boneless, skinless, farm-raised tilapia without antibiotics. It comes in bright green packaging, and the photo shows it paired with lemon and green beans and topped with some pepper and finely diced vegetables.

The tilapia was very flaky and had a nice crust on it after frying it in the pan. It did break off as I attempted to transfer it to the plate from the pan, making it one of the more delicate fish from this ranking. It was mildly fishy but can easily be disguised by adding sauces or seasoning. The Sea Cuisine tortilla-crusted tilapia was my top pick from my previous Costco seafood meal haul, so I'd be interested in creating something similar or perhaps a Parmesan-crusted tilapia. The was toddler-approved if you're making meals for the family.

The tilapia comes in a 3-pound bag, and each serving has 23 grams of protein. This was the cheapest of all the items on this list and a great value given that you get 3 pounds of product. But I wish that it was wild-caught. I did prefer the overall mouthfeel of this over the halibut, but I didn't love that it was starting to fall apart.

4. Kirkland wild caught Alaska sockeye salmon

Although the Kirkland wild-caught Alaska sockeye salmon had its skin on, it comes off easily after cooking. You can peel it right off right as you plate it or while eating. I like salmon skin and think it brings a good flavor and texture to the food, so I left it on. This fish had a vibrant pink color, which I loved. Sometimes salmon has added color, and this Kirkland version has one ingredient: salmon. It also had that classic umami buttery salmon taste. The packaging said it's boneless and skin-on salmon, and the color of the packaging is a good match for the color of the fish.

This salmon came in a 3-pound bag, and each serving had 38 grams of protein, which was the highest on this list. The cuts of salmon were kind of random; some were perfectly rectangular, and others were more angular. The sizing also seemed to vary so I got my scale out to check and some were around 7 ounces while others were 6 ounces. This was the most expensive item, along with the halibut, which also had a similar protein content. The salmon is good if you want a frozen high-protein option to thaw out as needed.

This fish was more flavorful and had considerably more protein than the tilapia, which gave it a boost in the ranking. I just wasn't a big fan of the texture, which became a bit firm, so I couldn't place it any higher. I prefer Costco's wild salmon from the refrigerated section instead.

3. Kirkland wild Alaskan pacific cod

I quite liked the Kirkland wild Alaskan Alaska Pacific cod; it was my favorite fish from this haul. The mild white fish had an almost buttery texture. While other previous fish were firm and meaty, the cod was the softest of the bunch. It was flaky, not too dense, and a tad watery. Even after cooking and plating it, you could see some water that pooled onto the plate. Like the tilapia, this was a delicate fish as pieces flaked off as I took it out of the pan.

The packaging said it's hand-trimmed, boneless, and skinless. The fish came in a 2-pound bag and had 30 grams of protein in each serving. This was one of the least expensive seafood items I purchased, so it's a great option to have at your house to feed the family — my toddler liked this, too. I appreciated the protein content, price, taste, and texture; the cod has everything going for it.

Next time, I'd like to give it more flavor than the seasoning I used, such as baked tandoori cod or something with a marinade to give it a boost. But it was still tasty with the seasoning blend I created and even better with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I would definitely repurchase this, but the next two items beat it in terms of taste and texture.

2. Kirkland wild Argentine red shrimp

Coming in at the number two spot was the wild Argentine red shrimp. These peeled and deveined little guys beat out the competition thanks to the ease of cooking, the flavor, and the texture. They come in a 2-pound bag and have 18 grams of protein per serving, which was the lowest protein per serving from this list. The shrimp had a red color, even when raw, which was pretty cool. They come prepared, so you don't have to take off any tails or do any preparation. These direct thawing overnight in the fridge, then draining and cooking, which I followed. It's important not to rush the thawing process. Using a microwave or warm water to thaw is one of the common mistakes everyone makes with shrimp.

The Kirkland wild Argentine red shrimp had a fantastic delicate consistency, were tender, and not at all chewy, which I find some shrimp can get. If you don't like shrimp texture, you may want to give these a try. I used my seasoning blend and thought they tasted amazing, but I also tried them with garlic butter and those were even better. But there's an array of versatile shrimp recipes you can make with these, which makes cooking for a family a seamless process. I would gladly buy this again because the texture and mild taste were unmatched.

1. East Coast Seafood Japanese Hokkaido scallops

The Kirkland wild Argentine red shrimp was scrumptious, but East Coast Seafood Japanese Hokkaido scallops were top-notch. The packaging had recommended seasoning instructions, unlike the other fish and shrimp, which just had suggestions on thawing. This one proposed heating it with butter and garlic during the cooking process, then seasoning it with salt and pepper and serving it with lemon. So, I did just that. The photo on the packaging showed lemon and parsley, so the herb could be a good option to add to your dish.

After cooking, there was a bit of water despite draining after thawing, but this didn't impact the flavor. The scallops were tender and buttery. They fell apart in my mouth when pressed down with my tongue to the roof of my mouth; this means they fared vastly better than the prepared bacon-wrapped scallops I purchased from Costco for my prepared seafood taste tests — which ranked last because they were chewy and not flavorful.

These Japanese Hokkaido scallops are fantastic to keep stocked when you need a quick meal. They take under 10 minutes to cook, given that you plan ahead and thaw accordingly. The scallops come in a 2-pound bag and have 19 grams of protein per serving. This was one of the middle-priced items on this list but still $10 cheaper than the highest two. I had low expectations from my last Costco scallops experience, but these surprised and delighted me. I loved the flavor it absorbed with the garlic and butter and I didn't even need the lemon. The texture of these was incredible. Therefore, I ranked them number one.

Methodology

I purchased all the seafood items from my local Costco in the San Diego area. I ate them over several days and tried to serve them similarly with the same seasoning; I made a large batch of seasoning using a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to use on all of them. This way, the flavoring would be the same, allowing the fish to shine. After all, I didn't want to eat unseasoned food. I followed the thawing and cooking instructions on the back of each item's bag. The only product that had seasoning instructions was the scallops, which I followed and mentioned in the scallops slide. My rankings are mainly based on taste and texture, but price and protein played their part, too. I don't often factor in the amount of protein in my rankings, but seeing as these were plain seafood, it can be a deciding factor for some.

A lot of the products in this ranking were white fish, and while they may have some differences, they were quite similar — as opposed to scallops or shrimp. So, ultimately, this boils down to your personal taste preferences or even what you're going to make with the dish. I made the dishes the same way for continuity, but if I had followed an exact recipe for the said product (like tropical mahi mahi tacos), it likely would have been even better.

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