Popeyes' Worst Seafood Item Tastes Like Seasoning, Not Shrimp

Seafood fans are in luck, as Popeyes has brought back its expanded seafood menu in the middle of February, right before the start of Lent, per usual. This year, to coincide with the start of Mardi Gras season, Popeyes introduced new dry rub options for its Shrimp Tackle Box, including Ghost Pepper, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parm, and Buffalo. While exciting, our enthusiasm was curbed upon trying the new dry rub flavors, as we quickly determined in our evaluation of every Popeyes seafood item that the Buffalo Rub Shrimp Tackle Box was the worst seafood option on the menu.

Since the new rubs in this collection are dry, right off the bat, that classically zingy Buffalo sauce is going to be missing the velvety butter and silky hot sauce — and you can certainly tell. The rub is too dry, too cloying, and more likely to get stuck to the roof of your mouth than actually add any flavor to the shrimp. We found that the taste of the Buffalo dry rub was so one-dimensional that we were hoping for more salt just to give the flavoring more depth. Not to mention that we could hardly even taste the actual shrimp beneath the thick coating of seasoning. If you were expecting a seafood version of your favorite buffalo wings, don't go searching for it in Popeyes' Buffalo Rub Shrimp Tackle Box. The new item is undoubtedly a flop, much like Popeyes' dry rub wings from last year.

We're not the only unhappy customers upon trying the Buffalo flavor of Popeyes' Shrimp Tackle Box. "I don't think I like that one," said one reviewer on TikTok, noting after tasting several of the shrimp that the flavor was "too Creole-y," and ending by saying "don't get the Buffalo." Another customer on TikTok said that Popeyes "didn't really disperse the seasoning well" in the Buffalo Dry Rub Shrimp Tackle Box, adding that the shrimp only had "a little bit of a tang" with "moderate spice." Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a flavor that's notorious for its punch. Other social media users are disappointed with Popeyes' dry rubs in general, with one customer lamenting on Reddit that "the shrimp is one of the rare instances where it tastes better without spice."

Popeyes' Buffalo Dry Rub Shrimp Tackle Box comes in a box of eight for roughly $6.99, depending on location. As part of a combo, the entree comes with a drink, one biscuit, one side of your choosing — such as Cajun Fries, Red Beans & Rice, Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Gravy, Coleslaw, or Homestyle Mac & Cheese — and one of the chain's various dipping sauces, wherein that Bayou Buffalo Sauce may be the only way to repair the lack of flavor from the dry rub itself. Some social media users suggested that the Buffalo dry rub might be better suited to the Cajun Fries than to Popeyes' shrimp, but given the lack of consistency with the rub, we have our doubts. Ultimately, it's no surprise this Buffalo-seasoned Tackle Box dethroned our pick for last year's worst seafood item at Popeyes.