Here is another contender for the longest name in Trader Joe’s! 16 words if you include the Trader Joe’s! Anyway, I was buzzing by the frozen section and saw this new packaging in the fish section. Hmm… I love salmon. We live near Seattle which is like the Salmon capital of the world. We gorge on it most of the summer so I am somewhat biased on my salmon. I thought what the hell, there are a lot of people out there that love salmon and this is supposed to be wild salmon so it’s all good!
This is one of those frozen meals that looks like it’s geared mainly towards lunch. I’m not sure many people would be buying this salmon for themselves for dinner. There simply isn’t that much here. You would need a side salad and a couple of pieces of good bread (Which Trader Joe’s seems to have abandoned in recent years) to make this a complete meal.
One word on the salmon. They say it is wild. But at the same time, they say it’s a Product of France. I don’t know anywhere in Europe that has enough of a wild salmon population to feed a Trader Joe’s volume. This is likely pink salmon caught off the coast of Alaska and shipped to France for final processing.
It comes in one of those paper trays, lift up the corner, and microwave for 5-minute deals. I didn’t have high expectations because these things tend to be fairly bland. It sure smelled good when I pulled it out of the microwave and lifted up the lid on it.
In the tray was a decent-sized chunk of salmon on top of a bed of orzo. I could see bits of spinach and zucchini in there and there were two cherry tomatoes on top. The salmon was pretty good if a little bland. While it may be wild salmon, it is not one of the better grades like King or Coho. I would say it’s chum or pink.
You can tell mainly by the lighter-colored flesh. But still, wild salmon is healthy, healthy for you. I really did like the orzo, spinach, and zucchini mixture quite a bit and thought it was very tasty. All in all a pretty fulfilling dish.
Trader Joe’s has literally had this product in their freezer section for at least 12 years (as of 2022, I originally wrote this review in 2011).
Would I buy it again? Probably not for myself. It didn’t fill me up. My wife loves this type of thing and she’d probably like a couple in the freezer to have on hand.
I am going to rate this one 8 bells!
INGREDIENTS:
Salmon, Orzo Pasta (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina, Salt), Zucchini, Spinach, Water, Yogurt
(Non-Fat Milk, Cream, Thickening Agents: Modified Corn Starch, Xanthan Gum, Cultures), Cherry Tomatoes,
Butter (Cream (Milk), Modified Starch (Rice and/or Corn and/or Tapioca), Shallots, Lemon Juice, Mint, Fish
Stock ((Cod, Water, Salt, Wheat Maltodextrin, Sunflower Oil, White Wine, Onion Powder, Rice Starch), Canola
Oil, White Wine (Contains Sulfites), Salt, Black Pepper Extract, Parsley, Chervil, Thickening Agent: Xanthan Gum.
CONTAINS SALMON, WHEAT, MILK.
HEATING INSTRUCTIONS: Microwave (1200 watt): Microwave cook times may vary depending on oven
wattage. Lift one corner of package to vent. Heat on high for 5 to 6 minutes or until heated through and sit for 3
minutes before opening. Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove top, tent loosely with foil; place on
baking sheet on center rack of oven and heat for 40 to 45 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven and sit for 3 minutes before serving
[…] is very similar to the Trader Joe’s Salmon in mint sauce that I review several years ago and is still for sale at Trader Joes also. They look like they both […]