This Aldi Freezer Find Saves My Holiday Dinner Every Year

After a couple of days of traveling around the holidays—to visit my family out of state and make separate trips to see my husband’s divorced parents—we’re usually pretty tired and often still hungry by the time we return home. I usually try to have something fancy and special ready for my husband and son. It’s Christmas, after all, so why not be a little extra?

Our family tradition is that I make a simple yet elegant shrimp scampi. It’s a tradition that grew out of necessity. My mom used to make it on Christmas Eve, so I continue in her footsteps. Because frozen shrimp is affordable, can be thawed safely and quickly, and cooks in no time, it’s easy to lean on. It feels doable after traveling for two and a half hours, sometimes in the snow.

Fortunately, there’s been an Aldi freezer find that has saved many holiday dinners—and other celebrations throughout the year. I’m a big fan of the Fremont Fish Market brand at Aldi. I buy its frozen fish fillets, and I’ve tried every single one of the frozen shrimp varieties. This year, I was especially excited to see a new two-pound bag of Fremont Fish Market large raw peeled shrimp.

About Fremont Fish Market Large Raw Peeled Shrimp

With how fast my 15-year-old son is growing, I definitely need more than one pound of shrimp this year. This giant bag (32 ounces) of large shrimp costs just $18.15. He could eat an entire pound by himself, and I’m pretty sure he’d eat both pounds if I let him.

What I love most about Fremont Fish Market shrimp is the quality. I haven’t been able to find shrimp—frozen or fresh—of this high quality at any other grocery store. Plus, shrimp this good at a specialty seafood store would cost at least twice as much.

How I Make the Easiest, Fanciest Shrimp Scampi

To make the yummiest shrimp scampi using Fremont Fish Market raw shrimp, all you need is garlic, butter, wine, and shrimp. That’s it.

Flavor a generous amount of butter in a skillet with minced garlic. Add some white wine and the frozen shrimp. In less than 10 minutes, the shrimp will be cooked through. Serve it with rice or roasted potatoes, and throw in a bagged salad or some dressed-up frozen veggies—it’s an elegant meal with almost no effort.

This frozen shrimp has also saved me when I’ve had last-minute holiday parties to attend, whether it’s a girlfriend’s get-together or the neighborhood Christmas party. In those situations, I boil the shrimp with seafood seasonings, then chill and serve them with cocktail sauce. To dress up plain store-bought cocktail sauce, I mix in fresh lemon juice and dried dill—it’s so good, and it looks really elegant.

If there are a few frozen shrimp left over, I make shrimp pasta salad with mayo, pasta, onions, and celery. If I want to elevate it, I add lemon juice and dill again. No matter how you use it, it’s definitely a holiday game-changer.

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