Shrimp, Sugarcane, and Simplicity: Trader Joe’s Chạo Tôm Reviewed

Move over fish sticks, there’s a new seafood star in the Trader Joe’s frozen aisle: Chạo Tôm! For those of us who dream of Vietnamese street food but don’t exactly have a sugarcane grove in our backyard, this shrimp-on-sugarcane delight promises to transport your taste buds to the bustling streets of Saigon—all without leaving your microwave. But does it deliver on its authentic charm, or is it just another frozen food pipe dream? Let’s unwrap this tropical treasure and find out!

What the Heck is Chạo Tôm?

Chạo Tôm is a traditional Vietnamese dish that’s both flavorful and unique. It consists of a mixture of shrimp paste, typically blended with garlic, shallots, sugar, and fish sauce, which is then wrapped around a sugarcane stick and grilled.

The sugarcane serves a dual purpose: it acts as a skewer and imparts a subtle sweetness to the shrimp paste as it cooks. Once grilled, the outside is slightly crispy, while the inside remains tender and flavorful.

How it’s eaten:

• Sugarcane sticks: After cooking, you can chew on the sugarcane to enjoy its sweetness after the shrimp is eaten.
• Accompaniments: Chạo Tôm is often served with rice paper wrappers, fresh herbs, lettuce, and vermicelli noodles, accompanied by a dipping sauce (usually nước mắm chấm, a sweet and tangy fish sauce-based dip).

It’s a dish that highlights the balance of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine!

How is Trader Joe’s Chao Tom different?

Well, first it’s not grilled. I think grilling could be a very interesting way to make this. Next time I might let them thaw and then grill them. It might be very interesting. Otherwise, they are exactly as the description above, they are shrimp and some vegetables and seasonings. That’s it! But the fun thing is that this glob of shrimp and vegetable stuff is molded onto the end of a piece of sugar cane (give one a chew, it’s very sweet).

I choose to make this in my air fryer which is probably more like a grill and also, takes far less time. I opted to put four of these in the air fryer and only set the timer for 8 minutes figuring this is shrimp and I didn’t want to over cook it.

You get eight of these skewers in the bag for $5.49 which I think is a pretty darn good deal for a meal with shrimp. You can use these at a meal with some extras like rice or noodles or whatever. Or you can serve as an appetizer. I served them with two sauces. The Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and just plain old soy sauce. Both worked well, but I preferred the chili sauce.

Be careful when you pull these out of the oven or the air fryer, they will be very hot inside and need a good five minutes to cool off, forget what Trader Joe’s tells you on the box.

You can see they browned up nicely and have a nicely browned exterior. I wouldn’t call it “crispy” but it gave a nice flavor. I took a bit out of these and it was filled with chunks of shrimp and little green bits which are the green beans and onions. They nailed the flavors here. I really, really liked these and could eat a whole box myself for a meal. The sweet chili sauce was an excellent match for the shrimp flavors and I rolled my Chao Tom in it several times when I was eating them.

Final Thoughts

Trader Joe’s Chạo Tôm is a standout in the frozen food aisle, offering a deliciously authentic Vietnamese experience with minimal effort. These shrimp skewers deliver the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and aromatic flavors, with just enough heat to add intrigue without scaring off even the most spice-sensitive eaters. The sugarcane skewer? A fun and flavorful touch that adds to the authenticity—just don’t try to eat it (we’ve all made that mistake once).

Pair these with Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, and you’ve got a match made in culinary heaven. The sweet and tangy sauce perfectly complements the subtle spice and shrimp flavor, making these skewers ideal for everything from appetizers to a weeknight treat.

With easy prep, authentic flavors, and just the right amount of heat, Trader Joe’s Chạo Tôm earns a well-deserved 9 out of 10 stars. If you’re craving Vietnamese-inspired cuisine without the effort, these skewers are a must-try!

Ingredients

COOKED SHRIMP (SHRIMP, WATER, SALT, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CITRIC ACID [ACIDIFIER], SODIUM CITRATE), WATER CHESTNUT, SOYBEAN OIL, TAPIOCA STARCH, GREEN BEANS, LEMONGRASS, SPRING ONION, JICAMA, CANE SUGAR, GINGER, GARLIC, RED CHILI PEPPER, SALT, SESAME OIL, RICE VINEGAR, BLACK PEPPER.

• CONTAINS SESAME, CRUSTACEAN SHELLFISH (SHRIMP).
• MAY CONTAIN WHEAT, TREE NUT (COCONUT), FISH (BASA).