I Asked My Grocery Store Fishmonger What to Look for When Buying Frozen Shrimp — These Are the 2 Things Everyone Should Know

If shrimp is a regular on your dinner table, it might be time to take a closer look at what you’re buying at the grocery store. In the last few weeks, the FDA issued recalls for several major brands — including Walmart and Kroger — over frozen shrimp for possible radioactive contamination from Cesium-137 (Cs-137). 

Health risks associated with consuming frozen shrimp from those brands are still under investigation, but the concerns are enough to make even the most seasoned seafood shoppers pause.

To boost my confidence in frozen shrimp, I chatted with Mark, the fishmonger at my local Publix in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had two expert tips for picking out the best and safest options. Most importantly, he helped me feel more secure about shopping for shrimp in the future. 

One of the easiest and most reliable visual cues is to “check for any ice crystals or frost,” says Mark. Frozen shrimp should be individually frozen and free of excessive ice chunks or buildup. If it looks snowy in the package, or contains “frost or clumps of shrimp,” that’s a sign the “shrimp has been thawed and refrozen,” he explains. 

This can not only affect the texture, but more importantly the quality. During defrosting, it’s possible for bacteria to grow or the shrimp to spoil before being refrozen. Avoid those bags all together and look for shrimp that are frozen but not lumped-together or icy. 

It’s always good to know where your food comes from, and especially after a major recall. Shrimp processing and safety regulations vary around the world (as they do for nearly all food items). Mark recommends shoppers prioritize buying shrimp processed or wild-caught in countries that are “held to higher safety standards and are easier to trace,” like the United States and Mexico.

When possible, he also suggests avoiding products processed in areas with looser oversight, like Indonesia (which is responsible for the majority of shrimp recalls, according to the FDA) or at least check if it’s on current recall lists. You can find this information by checking the Universal Product Codes (UPCs) near the bar codes, lot codes, and best-by dates that are usually printed near the bottom of the back label.

If there’s no origin or processing location on the package at all, avoid that bag of shrimp at all costs. That’s a “major red flag,” says Mark. 

Do you have a foolproof tip for picking out shrimp? Tell us about it in the comments below.