The Kirkland Fish Customers Say 'Cook Up Perfectly' No Matter What Method You Use

Casually strolling the wide aisles of Costco and perusing the best picks of the month, stopping now and again for a free sample, can be a great joy. But the trouble with shopping at warehouse chains is that buying anything new in such significant quantities involves taking on a larger-than-usual risk. No one wants to bring home 64 servings of a product that they end up not liking very much. Turning to internet reviews can be a good way to reduce this risk, however, and when it comes to Kirkland Signature frozen tilapia loins, the customer opinions are glowing.

"This is very good fish," writes one customer on the Costco website, giving the fish five stars. They continue, "Fat pieces of whitefish that cook up perfectly no matter how you choose to do it." While you may be more familiar buying fish fillets than loins, this is considered a meaty premium cut. In each bag are three pounds of these frozen loins — 12 servings in total — all of them skinless, boneless, and individually vacuum-packed for convenience and a long lifespan in the freezer. "Each piece is a choice piece, and a good size," writes another happy Costco member in the reviews, while someone else states, "My only regret is that I was only allowed to order one bag at a time!"

With reviews like that, it would seem that these frozen loins are a perfect fit for anything from sheet pan smoked paprika tilapia to cilantro-lime tilapia burgers. Away from the Costco website, however, some opinions about this product are less glowing. 

In fact, the opinions of Tasting Table's own reviewers on this product were distinctly negative, saying that Kirkand-brand frozen tilapia loins should be avoided. Looking at a variety of frozen seafood options from Costco, they decided that while it wasn't a terrible product, it wasn't that great either. They found the fish plain and of a poor texture with holes in the loins. It also didn't stack up well against competitors, ending up on the avoid side of the list of Costco frozen seafoods to buy or avoid.

In general, tilapia is not the most prized fish on the market, primarily due to the fact that it is typically farm-raised, and fish farm conditions are not always good. When raised properly, however, it is a nutritious and sustainable source of protein, thanks in part to the vegetarian diet of the fish. With three pounds of individually-packaged, hand-trimmed cuts in each bag for a little over $20, this product is a pretty good deal. It also comes with both an Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification and an assurance that the fish were raised without antibiotics.

In the end, we might have come right back around to the conundrum that we had at the beginning. During your next Costco visit, between bites of whatever samples the staff are slinging that day, you'll have to choose whether to risk purchasing that three-pound bag of frozen fish. You might love it, as many customers do, or you might later wish that you'd avoided it. With a price tag that low, though, it may just be worth whipping out an interesting recipe that adds plenty of flavor — like our sweet and spicy skillet tilapia with coconut and gochujang — and giving it a try.