For Sweet And Spicy Seafood Tacos At Home, Add This Frozen Trader Joe's Find To The Mix

Tacos have become a mainstay of the American diet, and not just on Tuesdays. Simple ingredients and bold flavors make tacos a go-to favorite for weeknight meals, but it's easy to get stuck in a beef-and-cheese rut. Luckily, there are many ways to add variation to one of Mexico's most iconic street foods, and Trader Joe's has what you need to think outside the shell.

Shrimp Boom Bah is one of the many seafood items you shouldn't pass up at Trader Joe's. The crispy shrimp, which are tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, make a flavorful change-up for taco night that can be prepared in under 20 minutes. The crispy texture and ideal balance of sweetness and heat pair perfectly with ingredients like cabbage slaw and tropical salsa. It's no wonder Trader Joe's shoppers are raving about the popular seafood find.  

The Instagram account traderjoes5itemsorless posted a shrimp taco recipe that combined Trader Joe's Shrimp Boom Bah, shredded green cabbage, flour tortillas, and Trader Joe's Cilantro Salad Dressing. One follower wrote, "These were great! My husband and I agreed we would have them again." Other TJ's fans seem to agree: The item offers a vibrant twist on the same old taco. 

The key to creating tasty Shrimp Boom Bah tacos is keeping the texture light and crispy. Cooking instructions for the shrimp list cooking instructions for oven, air fryer, and deep fryer, though several people in the r/traderjoes subreddit point out that the air fryer seemed to offer the crispiest results (as long as you understand the basic rules for using your air fryer to the fullest). 

Some TJ's customers also suggested drizzling the sauce over the shrimp to keep them from becoming soggy. You can also transfer them to a wire rack to keep the cooked shrimp from sitting in grease. To maintain that crunch, place the rack on a cookie sheet in a warm (170 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit), unless you're serving it immediately.

When choosing toppings for Shrimp Boom Bah tacos, keep it simple and let those sweet and spicy morsels be the star. Green cabbage adds crunch and balances the heat, and some TJ's fans also added avocado slices or mango salsa to the mix. For tacos that taste straight out of a Mexican restaurant, consider swapping fresh salsa for jarred. 

Popular flavor profiles for Shrimp Boom Bah tacos also include sweet chili and citrus ingredients, whether from dressings, sauces, or fresh lime. One customer added a squeeze of lime to the Instagram taco recipe, stating, "That [lime] should be the fifth ingredient." Regardless of toppings, TJ's fans seem to agree: Shrimp Boom Bah can transform a bland taco night into a flavor event — and at $8.99 per 1-pound box, it won't bruise your bank account.