Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

EDITOR’S NOTE: We most recently reviewed these in March of 2025. Aldi sold identical stuffed shrimp again in August of 2025. Aldi also advertised these for the week of March 4th, 2026, for the same price of $5.99. 

A few years ago, Aldi sold some name brand Chicken of the Sea stuffed shrimp featuring several different fillings: Creamy Garlic and Spinach, Creamy Jalapeno, and Creamy Wonton. The shrimp had crispy outer breading and a cream cheese-based filling. We tried a few flavors and wrote about them when we first saw them at Aldi, and it was a popular post on our site, indicating that the shrimp were a hit with Aldi shoppers.

Then, not long after that, as Aldi is sometimes apt to do, Aldi introduced similar crispy stuffed shrimp under its Specially Selected house brand. Specially Selected is not a company but instead is the private label Aldi puts on certain gourmet food products. Other foods in the Specially Selected line include premium brownie mix, stroopwafels, and flatbread pizza.

The Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp at Aldi are so similar to the Chicken of the Sea shrimp that it is possible Aldi has contracted with Chicken of the Sea to get these shrimp in stores. We don’t know for certain, though.

Here, we’re taking a closer look at these Aldi shrimp. They initially came in only two flavors: Creamy Jalapeno and Creamy Wonton. At some point, Aldi also added Creamy Garlic & Spinach stuffed shrimp as well.

The Creamy Jalapeno shrimp are described on the package as “breadcrumb-crusted butterfly shrimp loaded with jalapeno cream cheese.” The Creamy Wonton shrimp feature “wonton-crusted butterfly shrimp loaded with cream cheese.” The Creamy Garlic & Spinach shrimp feature “breadcrumb-crusted butterfly shrimp loaded with creamy garlic, parmesan, and spinach.”

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp cost $5.99 for a 6.8- to 9.6-ounce package in March and August of 2025 and in March of 2026. With eight shrimp per package, that’s around 75 cents per shrimp. That’s up slightly from the $5.79 we paid in January of 2023 when we first reviewed these.

These were advertised as a limited-time Aldi Find in 2025 and 2026, but we’ve also seen them sold as an everyday Regular Buy. So, we’re not quite sure what that means for availability with these. As of 2025 and 2026, it appears these are an Aldi Find only in stores for a short time. What we do know is that Aldi does not offer online ordering if these are out of stock at your local store.

These shrimp are farm raised and are a product of Thailand, and they are Best Aquaculture Practices certified.

Each box contains about 2.5 servings, with three shrimp making up one serving. Each of the boxes I bought contained eight shrimp, so these don’t serve a crowd, and it would be easy for one person to eat an entire box in one sitting.

The boxes have instructions for cooking these from frozen in your oven or in an air fryer. (The air fryer instructions are newer, as these didn’t come with air fryer instructions when we first reviewed them in 2023.)

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove shrimp from the inner package and place on a nonstick sheet pan allowing space in between each shrimp. Place into a preheated oven on the center rack and bake for 16-18 minutes until fully cooked (core temperature of 165 degrees). Cooking time may vary based on your appliance.

To air fry, set the air fryer to 350 degrees. Place shrimp in the basket and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Rest for 2 minutes on a mesh rack before serving.

In addition, the Creamy Wonton shrimp come with a packet of plum sauce that you can thaw at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (basically while the shrimp cook). To thaw faster, place the packet in a bowl of warm water. Pour the thawed plum sauce into a small bowl. The plum sauce is concentrated, so for best results, the instructions recommend to add 1 tablespoon of water per packet (or to taste), mix well, and serve.

I baked our shrimp in the oven, and I ended up pulling them before 15 minutes because the filling was starting to bubble out of some of the shrimp. So you’ll want to keep an eye on these and be ready to take them out of the oven or air fryer early to avoid losing filling.

Here’s more information about each shrimp variety.

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Creamy Jalapeno Shrimp

These definitely have a kick, so if you don’t like spicy food, you may want to pass on these shrimp. They have a medium spice level and I like them, but I kept my water glass nearby while eating them. One family member even brought out some ranch dressing to dip these shrimp in, since ranch dip is our go-to dip when we want to take the edge off of certain spicy foods.

A three-piece serving has 220 calories, 16 grams of total fat (21% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (24% DV), 380 mg of sodium (17% DV), 13 grams of total carbohydrates (5% DV), and less than 1 gram of added sugars (0% DV).

If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain shrimp, wheat, and milk.

Specially Selected Crispy Creamy Wonton Stuffed Shrimp

These have a unique wonton breading and mild-flavored cream cheese filling. These aren’t spicy like their jalapeno companions above. These are good on their own, but they’re great when you dip them in the plum sauce that comes in the package. While the instructions state that the plum sauce is concentrated and that you can add some water to the sauce before serving, next time I’ll serve the sauce without added water. When I put the recommended amount of water in the sauce, it made it a lot thinner. I’d prefer a thicker sauce that clings to the shrimp better.

A three-piece serving of these Specially Selected shrimp has 280 calories, 14 grams of total fat (18% DV), 4.5 grams of saturated fat (23% DV), 590 mg of sodium (26% DV), 33 grams of total carbohydrates (12% DV), and 22 grams of added sugars (44% DV). This contains a lot of added sugar, but some of that comes from the plum sauce. If you serve this without the sauce, or with only a small amount of sauce, you might reduce the sugar content.

If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain shrimp, milk, wheat, and soy.

Specially Selected Crispy Creamy Garlic & Spinach Stuffed Shrimp:

These are nicely seasoned with a savory, garlicky filling. If I had to pick a favorite among these shrimp flavors, this might be it. They’re all pretty good, though.

A 3-piece serving has 210 calories, 13 grams of total fat (17% DV), 4.5 grams of saturated fat (23% DV), 430 mg of sodium (19% DV), 15 grams of total carbohydrates (5% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, less than 1 gram of added sugars (0% DV), and 7 grams of protein.

If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain shrimp, milk, and wheat.

The Verdict:

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp are an Aldi take on name brand Chicken of the Sea Crispy Stuffed Shrimp. These come in three flavors: Creamy Jalapeno, Creamy Wonton, and Creamy Garlic & Spinach. They feature breaded shrimp with a creamy filling, and the Creamy Wonton shrimp also come with a plum sauce for dipping. If you enjoy unique kinds of breaded shrimp, these are well worth picking up. The only downside is that you don’t get very many shrimp per box.