Don't Pass Up These Trader Joe's Shrimp Rolls On Your Next Trip — We Ranked Them No. 1

Trader Joe's is well known for creating multiple incarnations of a single grocery item, and most are pretty inventive. While some come and go, many stick around for permanent status, including quite a few of the chain's tasty shrimp concoctions. Some reside in the fresh prepared-foods collection, but many of the best shrimp dishes rest within TJ's frozen chambers — that includes the option that Tasting Table placed in the number one position: Trader Joe's Shrimp Noodle Rolls. 

This entree (or appetizer if preferred) easily perches at the very top of our ranking of 12 Trader Joe's Shrimp Products, which includes other favorites in the genre, such as Ginger Shrimp Lo Mein, Thai Shrimp Gyoza, and Shrimp Boom Bah. But there's just something about those Shrimp Noodle Rolls that appeals to a wide range of appetites and taste preferences. Here's a look at what pulls that devotion to the forefront of Trader Joe's seafood meal planning. 

After ranking a dozen Trader Joe's shrimp offerings, based on flavor, texture, complexity, and value, our taste tester, Carmen Varner, calls the flavor and texture of the Shrimp Noodle Rolls "utterly drool worthy," for several reasons. "The exterior of the dim sum-style noodles (made of potato starch, rice flour, and tapioca starch) is crisp and slightly crunchy thanks to a light fry in oil," she says, "but then some parts of it are chewy. It's a fantastic dynamic." Another noteworthy feature is the interior of the noodle rolls, which Varner calls "excellent." Trader Joe's lists filling ingredients such as seasoned mixed vegetables along with marinated and cooked shrimp, herbs, and seasonings. "Finally, I can taste the ginger," notes Varner, "but there's also a lingering complexity from the soy sauce."

It's important to note that Trader Joe's Shrimp Noodle Rolls are not the same as standard Asian-style "shrimp rolls" or "spring rolls with shrimp" (which were also included in the same ranked list of TJ's shrimp products.) These are instead soft, dim sum-style rice noodles, also known as cheung fun, a dish from China's Guangdong province. Preparing the frozen Trader Joe's version is pretty straightforward: steam in a covered stovetop pan, with small amount of heated oil, until the bottoms crisp up nicely.  

These tasty morsels work well as appetizers or in a collection of small-plate dishes for a dim sum feast. But there's no reason you can't eat them as a full entree with dipping sauces and a side of fried rice, slightly sauteed greens, or Trader Joe's chopped and shredded Cruciferous Crunch Collection of kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green and red cabbages. 

Online reviews from TJ's customers largely line up with our ranking of Trader Joe's Shrimp Noodle Rolls. Reactions are mostly favorable, with several shoppers praising both the flavor and the pleasantly chewy texture. One enthusiastic customer on Reddit wrote, "Oh I love these so much! ... They come out perfect every time." Another reviewer said the rolls taste "pretty good without any sauce," even though they are "kind of different" from the shrimp noodle rolls served at dim sum restaurants. The most common criticism appears to involve preparation, rather than flavor, with one Redditor saying that the rolls became a "pan full of tasty glue" and adding that it "the worst sticking-to-the-pan experience" they had encountered; although they were still willing to try the product again.