Fishing expedition: trawling for the best frozen seafood."We recommend eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week," says the American Heart Association. If you're trying to heed that advice, there are only so many tuna salad sandwiches you can eat without worrying about taste bud burn-out or mercury contamination. And while it's easy to prepare delicious fresh fish (see p. 15 for recipes), if you haven't shopped since last weekend, you may not have any in the fridge. Don't despair. Supermarket freezer cases are stocked with surprisingly good prepared seafood. What about contamination? Data is scarce, except for salmon. As a general rule, wild seafood is safer than farm-raised and domestic is safer than imported. (Labels don't have to say where the seafood came from, though some do.) With salmon, wild is least likely to be contaminated, followed by farmed Atlantic salmon from Chile or Washington state, then other farmed salmon from the U.S., Canada, and Norway. All are far cleaner than farmed salmon from Scotland and the Farce Islands. Experts estimate that the heart-healthy omega-3 fats in wild or farmed salmon can save at least 300 lives for every one death from cancer caused by the contaminants in salmon. Here's what we hooked when we went fishing at supermarkets across the country recently. Crab Feast Phillips Seafood Restaurants don't deliver. But every bite of their packaged Crab & Shrimp Cakes brings you closer to one of their popular mid-Atlantic restaurants. Each cake has only 1 1/2 grams of saturated fat and 310 milligrams of sodium, though the delicate mix of crab and shrimp and the mild Cajun seasoning make it a challenge to stop at just one. The subtle-but-rich flavor calls for simple sides: serve with mixed greens, oven-roasted sweet or white potatoes, and fresh asparagus spears (steamed and tossed with a touch of light soy sauce, olive oil. and red pepper flakes). Trader Joe's Maryland Style Crab Cakes are shrimp-free, so the flavor of crab shines through. Both brands can go directly from freezer to oven ... and neither requires you to tip the waiter. Foolproof Fish Never quite sure how to cook fish just right; how to stay between raw and rubbery? If you can take plastic wrap off a package and turn on an oven, we've got an answer for you. Morey's offers fresh salmon seasoned with marinades like Teriyaki, Twelve Pepper Medley, Garlic Cracked Pepper, Hickory, Lemon Dill, and Seasoned Grill. Each comes in its own baking tray that can go right from the fridge to the oven. Some 15 minutes later, the pop-up timer lets you know that the fish is done. Morey's doesn't overdo the salt (around 150 mg per serving). And, thanks to its vacuum packaging, you can buy fresh fish today for dinner next week. If you can't find Morey's or prefer wild salmon (Morey's is farm-raised in Chile), try Gorton's Classic Grilled Salmon. Unlike Morey's, the frozen fillets fillet /fil·let/ (fil´et) 1. a loop, as of cord or tape, for making traction on the fetus. 2. in the nervous system, a long band of nerve fibers. fil·let (f aren't restaurant-quality, but they beat most other frozen fish (much of it unexciting pollock) hands down. (Exception: Trader Joe's Marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks taste like they were dished up by your favorite seafood establishment.) If Gorton's perfectly shaped fish rectangles don't look appetizing, crumble them up and serve over pasta (with sauteed onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic). Or slice them into strips to wake up a Caesar or spinach salad. Not bad for a day when it's fish from the freezer or no fish at all. Top Tempura Tempura - Language based on temporal logic. "Executing Temporal Logic Programs", B. Moszkowski, Camb U Press 1986. You don't need to take off your shoes and sit on floor mats to eat Tiger Thai Tempura Shrimp. Even at your dining room table, you'd swear you were in a Japanese restaurant. Ditto for Trader Joe's Tempura Shrimp, with its remarkably crisp, light crust. But there's a catch. You can't just glance at the Nutrition Facts label and dig in. First you have to adjust the numbers to a typical 4 oz. serving (about four shrimp), rather than Tiger's 1 oz. (28 gram) single shrimp or Trader Joe's 3 oz., three-shrimp serving. Then you have to find the numbers for the salty soy dipping sauce, which appear elsewhere on the labels. Use three tablespoons of Trader Joe's sauce and you can demote it from Best Bite to Honorable Mention. Use more than a teaspoon of Tiger Thai's sauce and it's too salty for either category. Luckily, both brands' shrimp taste superb without any sauce. Of course, you can't really appreciate Tiger's and Trader Joe's numbers unless you've seen a box of Gorton's Popcorn Shrimp. The company's Web site may highlight the shrimp's 0 grams of trans fat, but each serving still spackles your arteries with some 4 grams of saturated fat (and 600 to 900 milligrams of sodium). Hidden Whole Wheat If the only seafood you ate as a child was fish sticks, you know how breaded pollock tastes--pretty much like the breading. At least some companies, like Gorton's, no longer fry in partially hydrogenated oils, so their breading is free of trans (though not saturated) fat. Old warhorses Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's tell us they're removing the trans. Others, like Dr. Praeger's, Whole Catch, and Ian's, never had any trans. But Natural Sea Premium Cod Fillets lead the pack with a (mostly) whole wheat breading cooked in (trans-free) canola oil. The breading cooks up nice and crispy, yet is light enough to let the (wild) cod's delicate flavor through. Subtle Salmon If you like your fish on a bun, check out Dr. Praeger's Salmon Cakes. Unlike many salmon, tuna, and other fish burgers, they're neither crumbly nor spongy. Twelve minutes per side in the oven (no deep-frying needed) yields a crunchy crunchy - floppy disk bun stuffer. Another plus, at least for people who don't like fish: the wild salmon in the burgers is remarkably mild. That makes Dr. P's salmon cakes a great way to get omega-3s by the mouthful while only lettuce, tomato, onion, and bun register on the brain. On the Waterfront Best Bites ([check][check]) have no more than 2 grams of saturated plus trans fat (3 grams for salmon) and 350 milligrams of sodium per serving. Honorable Mentions ([check]) car nave up to 480 mg of sodium. Within each section products are ranked from east to most bad fat (sat plus trans), then sodium, then calories. The information for this article was compiled by Tamara Goldis
Total Fat
Calories (grams)
Unbreaded Shrimp (number of shrimp or
portion of package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(A) Natural Sea Spicy Cajun Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 120 3
(B) Trader Joe's Colossal Butterflied
Shrimp (3 shrimp) 80 1
(B) Singleton Shrimp Grillers (1 skewer
3.5 oz.) (1) 70 1
Natural Sea Garlic Butter Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 130 3
Margaritaville Surfside Shrimp 80 1
Skewers (2 skewers) with Pineapple
Salsa (4.5 oz.) 110 1
SeaPak Caesar Parmesan Marinated
Fully Cooked Shrimp
(15 shrimp-3 oz.) 140 6
SeaPak Garlic Herb Marinated Shrimp
(15 shrimp) 130 4
(A) Phillips Crab Stuffed Shrimp
(3 shrimp) 190 12
(B) Morey's Marinated Shrimp, with
marinade (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.) (1) 280 18
Margaritaville Island Lime Shrimp
(6 shrimp) 130 7
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Marinated
Shrimp Scampi (25 shrimp) 100 6
with Scampi Sauce (5.5 oz.) 170 12
Margaritaville Calypso Coconut
Shrimp (5 shrimp) 300 17
with Mango Chutney Dippin' Sauce
(5 oz.) 350 17
Margaritaville Jammin' Jerk Shrimp
(7 shrimp) 140 7
SeaPak Shrimp Scampi (6-8 shrimp) (1) 330 28
Contessa Shrimp Scampi (1/3 pkg.) 300 27
Breaded Shrimp (number of shrimp or portion of
package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(A) Tiger Thai Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 280 12
with Tempura Dipping Sauce (4.5 oz.) 300 12
(A) Trader Joe's Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 280 12
(B) with Soy Dipping Sauce (6 oz.) 300 12
SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp (8 shrimp) 150 1
(A) Whole Catch Buffalo Popcorn Shrimp
(1/2 pkg.) 210 7
(A) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded
Butterflied Shrimp (9 shrimp) 240 13
(B) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Popcorn
Shrimp (22 shrimp) 270 12
(B) Whole Catch Tempura Shrimp (1/2 pkg.) 230 8
Singleton Shrimp Poppers (20 shrimp) 270 9
SeaPak Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp
(5 shrimp) 260 13
SeaPak Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 240 8
SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp (20 shrimp) 280 13
Singleton Butterfly Shrimp (9 shrimp) 260 10
Contessa Shrimp with Sauce-Hawaiian
or Orange (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.) (2) 260 9
Natural Sea Lightly Breaded Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 290 15
SeaPak Coconut Shrimp (6 shrimp) 220 4
Natural Sea Breaded Coconut Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 250 15
SeaPak Shrimp Poppers (26 shrimp) 290 16
SeaPak Oven Crunchy Coconut Shrimp
(4 shrimp) 310 14
Gorton's Popcorn Shrimp (20-25
shrimp) (1) 270 13
Tiger Thai Breaded Shrimp (1/3 pkg.) 370 25
Contessa Coconut Shrimp with Tropical 300 14
Mango Sauce (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.)
Contessa Thai Curry Shrimp with Sweet 360 21
Chili Sauce (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.)
Phillips Coconut Shrimp (7 shrimp) 410 24
Van de Kamp's Butterfly Shrimp
(7 shrimp) 300 15
Calamari, Scallops, etc. (number of pieces or
portion of package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(B) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Calamari
Rings (16 rings) 250 12
(B) Natural Sea Breaded Calamari Rings
(2/3 pkg.) 250 13
(A) Natural Sea Lightly Breaded Scallops
(2/3 pkg.) 280 15
Margaritaville Captain's Calamari
Strips (1/3 pkg.) 240 12
with Creole Remoulade Dippin'
Sauce (5 oz.) 330 20
Tiger Thai Tempura Calamari Rings
(1/3 pkg.) 290 19
with Cocktail Sauce (5 oz.) 310 19
with Tempura Dipping Sauce (4.5 oz.) 310 19
Natural Sea Breaded Clam Strips
(2/3 pkg.) 310 17
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Fried
Scallops (13 scallops) 220 7
Unbreaded or Stuffed Fillets (approximate weight of 1 fillet)
(A) Trader Joe's Marinated Ahi Tuna
Steaks (4.5 oz.) 150 5
(A) Van de Kamp's Seafood Grill Fillets
(3.5 oz.) (1) 90 2
(A) Gorton's Grilled Fillets, except
Lemon Pepper (4 oz.) (1) 100 3
(A) Gorton's Classic Grilled Salmon
(3 oz.)
(B) Gorton's Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon 100 4
(3 oz.)
(B) Gorton's Lemon Pepper Grilled Fillets
(4 oz.) 100 4
(A) Morey's Marinated Tilapia, with
marinade (6 oz.) (1) 220 10
(B) Trader Joe's Seasoned Wild Turbot
Fillets (4 oz.) 210 16
(A) Morey's Marinated Salmon, with
marinade (6 oz.) (1) 270 17
Oven Poppers (5 oz.) (1) 220 11
Battered or Breaded Fillets (number of
fillets closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(B) Natural Sea Premium Breaded Cod
Fish (2) 240 10
(B) Dr. Praeger's Fish-Breaded or Potato
Crusted (2) (2) 220 8
(A) Whole Catch Lightly Breaded Fish (1) 250 9
(B) Trader Joe's Breaded Alaskan Cod (1) 280 10
(B) Ian's Lightly Breaded Fish (1) 260 8
Gorton's Garlic and Herb Breaded
Fish (2) 230 12
Tiger Thai Tempura Cod
(1 fillet-3 oz.) 220 14
with Tempura Dipping Sauce
(3.2 oz.) 230 14
Gorton's Fish-Crunchy Golden Breaded
or Beer Batter (2) (2) 240 13
Mrs. Paul's Crispy Battered Fish (1) 190 9
Gorton's Breaded Fish-Parmesan or
Ranch (2) (2) 250 14
Van de Kamp's Beer Battered Fish (2) 260 12
Mrs. Paul's Beer Battered Fish (2) 240 12
Gorton's Crispy Battered Fish (2) 260 17
Gorton's Southern Fried Fish (2) 230 13
Van de Kamp's Crunchy Breaded
Fish (2) 250 15
Gorton's Lemon Pepper Battered
Fish (2) 290 21
Van de Kamp's Crispy Battered
Fish (2) 240 12
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Lightly
Breaded-Cod, Flounder,
or Haddock (1) (2) 200 10
Mrs. Paul's Crunchy Breaded Fish (2) 250 14
Breaded or Battered Fish Tenders (4 tenders-4 oz.)
Van de Kamp's Beer Battered 230 11
Gorton's-Extra Crunchy or Original
Batter (2) 300 15
Mrs. Paul's Crispy Battered 210 10
Mrs. Paul's Crunchy Breaded Strips 270 14
Van de Kamp's Crispy Battered 260 14
Burgers or Cakes (1 burger or cake-3 oz., unless noted)
(A) Omega Foods Burgers (1) 80 1
(A) Whole Catch Burgers-Salmon or Tuna (2) 100 1
(B) Aqua Cuisine Tuna Burger (4 oz.) (1) 150 3
(A) Dr. Praeger's Cakes-Fish or Salmon (2) 160 6
(A) Dr. Praeger's Breaded Sandwich Fish
Fillet (4 oz.) 210 9
(A) Aqua Cuisine Salmon Burger (1) 90 3
(A) Trader Joe's Maryland Style Crab Cakes 190 12
(A) Phillips Crab & Shrimp Cakes 140 9
(B) Mrs. Paul's Deviled Crab Cakes 220 12
(B) Natural Sea Premium Crab Cakes 210 15
Phillips Crab Cakes 160 10
(A) Phillips Salmon Cakes 180 13
Phillips Boardwalk Crab Cakes 270 22
Saturated +
Trans Fat Sodium
(grams) (milligrams)
Unbreaded Shrimp (number of shrimp or
portion of package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(A) Natural Sea Spicy Cajun Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 0 140
(B) Trader Joe's Colossal Butterflied
Shrimp (3 shrimp) 0 400
(B) Singleton Shrimp Grillers (1 skewer
3.5 oz.) (1) 0 420
Natural Sea Garlic Butter Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 0 810
Margaritaville Surfside Shrimp 0 840
Skewers (2 skewers) with Pineapple
Salsa (4.5 oz.) 0 880
SeaPak Caesar Parmesan Marinated
Fully Cooked Shrimp
(15 shrimp-3 oz.) 1 660
SeaPak Garlic Herb Marinated Shrimp
(15 shrimp) 1 690
(A) Phillips Crab Stuffed Shrimp
(3 shrimp) 2 330
(B) Morey's Marinated Shrimp, with
marinade (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.) (1) 2 400
Margaritaville Island Lime Shrimp
(6 shrimp) 4 720
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Marinated
Shrimp Scampi (25 shrimp) 4 960
with Scampi Sauce (5.5 oz.) 8 1,150
Margaritaville Calypso Coconut
Shrimp (5 shrimp) 7 530
with Mango Chutney Dippin' Sauce
(5 oz.) 7 690
Margaritaville Jammin' Jerk Shrimp
(7 shrimp) 7 * 1,040
SeaPak Shrimp Scampi (6-8 shrimp) (1) 10 580
Contessa Shrimp Scampi (1/3 pkg.) 11 * 840
Breaded Shrimp (number of shrimp or portion of
package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(A) Tiger Thai Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 0 200
with Tempura Dipping Sauce (4.5 oz.) 0 540
(A) Trader Joe's Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 0 200
(B) with Soy Dipping Sauce (6 oz.) 0 430
SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp (8 shrimp) 0 680
(A) Whole Catch Buffalo Popcorn Shrimp
(1/2 pkg.) 1 250
(A) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded
Butterflied Shrimp (9 shrimp) 1 270
(B) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Popcorn
Shrimp (22 shrimp) 1 440
(B) Whole Catch Tempura Shrimp (1/2 pkg.) 1 460
Singleton Shrimp Poppers (20 shrimp) 1 750
SeaPak Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp
(5 shrimp) 2 560
SeaPak Tempura Shrimp (4 shrimp) 2 570
SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp (20 shrimp) 2 640
Singleton Butterfly Shrimp (9 shrimp) 2 690
Contessa Shrimp with Sauce-Hawaiian
or Orange (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.) (2) 2 990
Natural Sea Lightly Breaded Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 2 1,010
SeaPak Coconut Shrimp (6 shrimp) 3 150
Natural Sea Breaded Coconut Shrimp
(2/3 pkg.) 3 390
SeaPak Shrimp Poppers (26 shrimp) 3 870
SeaPak Oven Crunchy Coconut Shrimp
(4 shrimp) 4 140
Gorton's Popcorn Shrimp (20-25
shrimp) (1) 4 810
Tiger Thai Breaded Shrimp (1/3 pkg.) 5 190
Contessa Coconut Shrimp with Tropical 5 230
Mango Sauce (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.)
Contessa Thai Curry Shrimp with Sweet 5 960
Chili Sauce (1/2 pkg.-6 oz.)
Phillips Coconut Shrimp (7 shrimp) 8 850
Van de Kamp's Butterfly Shrimp
(7 shrimp) 3 610
Calamari, Scallops, etc. (number of pieces or
portion of package closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(B) Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Calamari
Rings (16 rings) 1 370
(B) Natural Sea Breaded Calamari Rings
(2/3 pkg.) 1 400
(A) Natural Sea Lightly Breaded Scallops
(2/3 pkg.) 2 320
Margaritaville Captain's Calamari
Strips (1/3 pkg.) 2 710
with Creole Remoulade Dippin'
Sauce (5 oz.) 4 730
Tiger Thai Tempura Calamari Rings
(1/3 pkg.) 3 400
with Cocktail Sauce (5 oz.) 3 660
with Tempura Dipping Sauce (4.5 oz.) 3 740
Natural Sea Breaded Clam Strips
(2/3 pkg.) 3 1,250
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Fried
Scallops (13 scallops) 1 (#) 440
Unbreaded or Stuffed Fillets (approximate weight of 1 fillet)
(A) Trader Joe's Marinated Ahi Tuna
Steaks (4.5 oz.) 1 180
(A) Van de Kamp's Seafood Grill Fillets
(3.5 oz.) (1) 1 250
(A) Gorton's Grilled Fillets, except
Lemon Pepper (4 oz.) (1) 1 270
(A) Gorton's Classic Grilled Salmon
(3 oz.)
(B) Gorton's Lemon Butter Grilled Salmon 1 310
(3 oz.)
(B) Gorton's Lemon Pepper Grilled Fillets
(4 oz.) 1 370
(A) Morey's Marinated Tilapia, with
marinade (6 oz.) (1) 2 180
(B) Trader Joe's Seasoned Wild Turbot
Fillets (4 oz.) 2 440
(A) Morey's Marinated Salmon, with
marinade (6 oz.) (1) 3 160
Oven Poppers (5 oz.) (1) 3 400
Battered or Breaded Fillets (number of
fillets closest to 4 oz., unless noted)
(B) Natural Sea Premium Breaded Cod
Fish (2) 0 400
(B) Dr. Praeger's Fish-Breaded or Potato
Crusted (2) (2) 0 420
(A) Whole Catch Lightly Breaded Fish (1) 1 330
(B) Trader Joe's Breaded Alaskan Cod (1) 1 370
(B) Ian's Lightly Breaded Fish (1) 1 410
Gorton's Garlic and Herb Breaded
Fish (2) 2 770
Tiger Thai Tempura Cod
(1 fillet-3 oz.) 3 160
with Tempura Dipping Sauce
(3.2 oz.) 3 290
Gorton's Fish-Crunchy Golden Breaded
or Beer Batter (2) (2) 3 570
Mrs. Paul's Crispy Battered Fish (1) 3 610
Gorton's Breaded Fish-Parmesan or
Ranch (2) (2) 3 650
Van de Kamp's Beer Battered Fish (2) 3 700
Mrs. Paul's Beer Battered Fish (2) 3 760
Gorton's Crispy Battered Fish (2) 3 770
Gorton's Southern Fried Fish (2) 3 780
Van de Kamp's Crunchy Breaded
Fish (2) 4 350
Gorton's Lemon Pepper Battered
Fish (2) 4 520
Van de Kamp's Crispy Battered
Fish (2) 4 740
Mrs. Paul's Select Cuts Lightly
Breaded-Cod, Flounder,
or Haddock (1) (2) 5 380
Mrs. Paul's Crunchy Breaded Fish (2) 5 470
Breaded or Battered Fish Tenders (4 tenders-4 oz.)
Van de Kamp's Beer Battered 3 710
Gorton's-Extra Crunchy or Original
Batter (2) 3 810
Mrs. Paul's Crispy Battered 4 700
Mrs. Paul's Crunchy Breaded Strips 5 440
Van de Kamp's Crispy Battered 5 650
Burgers or Cakes (1 burger or cake-3 oz., unless noted)
(A) Omega Foods Burgers (1) 0 150
(A) Whole Catch Burgers-Salmon or Tuna (2) 0 170
(B) Aqua Cuisine Tuna Burger (4 oz.) (1) 0 480
(A) Dr. Praeger's Cakes-Fish or Salmon (2) 1 190
(A) Dr. Praeger's Breaded Sandwich Fish
Fillet (4 oz.) 1 230
(A) Aqua Cuisine Salmon Burger (1) 1 300
(A) Trader Joe's Maryland Style Crab Cakes 2 280
(A) Phillips Crab & Shrimp Cakes 2 310
(B) Mrs. Paul's Deviled Crab Cakes 2 390
(B) Natural Sea Premium Crab Cakes 2 430
Phillips Crab Cakes 2 560
(A) Phillips Salmon Cakes 3 270
Phillips Boardwalk Crab Cakes 4 410
(A) Best Bite.
(B) Honorable Mention.
(1) Average of all varieties.
(2) Average of the varieties listed.
* Contains more than 2 grams of trans
fat per serving.
(#) Product listed at end of section because company
didn't disclose trans fat content.
Daily Limits (for a 2,000-calorie diet): Total Fat: 65 grams.
Saturated + Trans Fat: 20 grams. Sodium: 1,500 milligrams.
Source: manufacturers.
The use of information from this article for commercial purposes is
strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI.
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