Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

A while back, 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 for a while, indicating that the shrimp were a hit with Aldi shoppers. Because Chicken of the Sea is not an Aldi-exclusive brand, some of our readers indicated they’d purchased the shrimp at other retailers such as Costco.

Then recently, 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, flatbread pizza, and specialty macaroni and cheese.

The new Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp at Aldi are so similar to the Chicken of the Sea shrimp that it is very likely Aldi has contracted with Chicken of the Sea to get these shrimp in stores.

Here, we’re taking a closer look at these Aldi shrimp. They come in two flavors: Creamy Jalapeno with “breadcrumb-crusted butterfly shrimp loaded with jalapeno cream cheese” and Creamy Wonton with “wonton-crusted butterfly shrimp loaded with cream cheese.”

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp cost $5.79 for a 6.8-9.6-ounce package at the time of publication. That’s nominally less than what Aldi sold name brand Chicken of the Sea stuffed shrimp for in 2021. Similar to their name brand cousins, these Specially Selected shrimp come in two varieties: Creamy Jalapeno or Creamy Wonton.

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. 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.

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.

The Aldi shrimp boxes don’t have instructions for air frying or deep frying, but the Chicken of the Sea shrimp I bought at Aldi last year did have those instructions, so you can probably prepare these shrimp in the same way. Chicken of the Sea recommended setting the air fryer to 350 degrees and cooking the shrimp for 5 minutes, then flipping and cooking for an additional 4 minutes. To deep fry, preheat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place 4-5 frozen shrimp in hot oil. Fry about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

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

Specially Selected Creamy Jalapeno Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Creamy Jalapeno shrimp ready to serve.

Specially Selected Creamy Jalapeno Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Inside a Creamy Jalapeno stuffed 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.

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Nutrition information and ingredients for Creamy Jalapeno shrimp. (Click to enlarge.)

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

Specially Selected Creamy Wonton Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Creamy Wonton shrimp ready to serve with plum sauce for dipping.

Specially Selected Creamy Wonton Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Inside a Creamy Wonton 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.

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp

Nutrition information and ingredients for Creamy Wonton shrimp. (Click to enlarge.)

These shrimp are not exactly identical to the Chicken of the Sea shrimp previously in Aldi stores. You can view nutrition information for the Chicken of the Sea Creamy Wonton shrimp here, and you’ll see that it varies somewhat. The allergen list is also slightly different.

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.

The Verdict:

Specially Selected Crispy Stuffed Shrimp are an Aldi take on name brand Chicken of the Sea Crispy Stuffed Shrimp, and it’s possible Aldi contracts with Chicken of the Sea to supply these shrimp. These come in two flavors: Creamy Jalapeno and Creamy Wonton. They feature breaded shrimp with a cream cheese 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.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

3 Comments

  1. 1/10/23: Just bought the Chicken of the Sea versions for $3 on clearance. Tiny shrimp, greasy.

  2. I had the creamy wonton version and it was delicious! A mild chive flavor that didn’t overwhelm the crispy shrimp. I was truly savoring them and made each shrimp into three bites. And I love that it’s less than $1 a shrimp for something that is a real treat. I hope Aldi’s keeps this around for awhile – sometimes it can be hard to find something you like over time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *