Costco Sells A Luxury Seafood Item Worth Going The Extra Mile For

If it were feasible, we'd all be buying our seafood straight from a fisherman. For the rest of us landlubbers, we'll have to settle for purchasing treasures of the sea a few links down the supply chain. Fortunately, some of the Costco frozen seafood items worth buying taste so fresh, you'll practically hear a salty sea breeze brushing through the leaves of swaying palm trees when you take a bite.

Costco customers love the Japanese Hokkaido scallops from East Coast Seafood. They come raw and frozen in 2-pound bags, which will get you 36 to 46 scallops. Depending on location, they'll cost you somewhere around $35 and $45, give or take. Similar products from some other online purveyors can cost up to four times that amount, making these an absolute steal, especially since those who have tried them find that both the taste and texture exceeded their expectations.

"They are very good, and this is a great deal for the quality — better than what you can get at Whole Foods for cheaper," shared one commenter on Reddit. "It does have an oceanic flavor, slightly like a squid. With the soy sauce and wasabi, that's great," said The Sushi Guy (via TikTok).

Some scallops are soaked in a phosphate solution before being frozen in a block, which gives them a watery texture and slightly soapy taste. They tend to shrink dramatically when cooked because they release that liquid, making it nearly impossible to perfectly sear scallops.

This is not the case with Costco's Japanese Hokkaido scallops from East Coast Seafood. They're frozen individually, and the ingredients list shows nothing more than Patinopecten yessoensis scallops. Because they are not brined or seasoned, you can prepare them any way you like.

Also, fresh isn't always better than frozen when it comes to seafood. In fact, the opposite is often true. Unless you live in a coastal area with access to local markets or you shop with a trusted fishmonger who can give you specific details about sourcing, the scallops you're buying might not be that fresh. Sometimes, the so-called "fresh" seafood at grocery stores is thawed, previously frozen products that are then displayed on ice, which quickly deteriorates the quality. When you buy frozen seafood, you can be confident the quality has been largely maintained, provided the bags were kept continuously frozen.