Vegan Breaded Shrimp

I purchased and consumed these #veganshrimp a while back, but it must have slipped my mind to review them . . . probably because I wasn’t a huge fan. Honestly, I’ve been avoiding shrimp for ages, long before I made the conscious decision to eschew animal exploitation. I thought perhaps it would be one of those things like jerky, where I ended up vastly preferring the flavor and texture of the cruelty-free counterpart, but I don’t think that’s the case here. They were very “bleh” to me. #veganseafood These “shrimp” are blobby little crescents coated with breading which, to its credit, does get rather crispy. However, the #fakemeat part was totally bland and way too similar to konnyaku for me. I actually love konnyaku/yam cake (the stuff shirataki noodles are made of,) and perhaps it’s because I enjoy it so much that this product disturbed me — I have never, not once in my life ever wanted to eat it breaded and fried. This product isn’t very impressive in the nutritional sense, either. I had them in spring rolls, and I feel this may not have been the most ideal pairing, since the oil-less-ness of the other ingredients really emphasized the greasiness of the shrimp. They’d probably do better in a stir-fry or some sort of vegan seafood taco. I’m so glad it was only $1.99 for the box. #groceryoutletfinds An illuminating (and #glutenfree!) experience, but not one I plan to repeat!

This was a miss for me. It is very bland and the texture is very rubbery. It's also high in fat for what it is but it's lower in sodium than most products which is nice. It's an okay source of protein with 8g per serving. On the plus side it is gluten free and soy free which is surprising. #veganseafood #glutenfree #groceryoutletfinds

Found these #veganshrimp at my local #groceryoutlet. I don't know if it was user error or expectation vs reality here but... these don't really look like the photo. They did not have any seafood flavor at all but the breading was good. Would try again but will season differently. #veganseafood

I’ve seen Sophie’s Kitchen products at health food stores for years but never took the plunge as the price tag was high and online reviews weren’t always inspiring. I found these at Grocery Outlet not too long ago and decided the price was right to give them a try. (I cannot locate the receipt but my guess is that they were $4 or less.). Even though they are breaded instead of battered I decided to make them into a bang bang shrimp as that appealed to me more than any other way I could think of. (I never had cooked actual shrimp before.) These were easy to prepare. I covered the heated pan and let them thaw out and separate and then added some oil and fried as instructed. They came out crispy on the outside and tender inside. I think they did a good job with mimicking the shape and texture of shrimp, from what I can recall, though perhaps they are more tender. They, however, did not have any shrimp flavor. I made sure to try a few plain before adding the sauce. I really enjoyed them as a vessel for the sauce. This is definitely more of a novelty/fun food as there’s not much in regards to protein. I made sure to have alternate protein sources in my meal, though. Surprisingly to me, I would buy these again, but definitely only at the discounted price. They offered a neat textural experience and I enjoyed my dish as a whole and would be happy to repeat it! I’d be curious to try other vegan shrimp products that may be more flavorful. #veganshrimp #veganseafood #sophieskitchen #groceryoutletfinds

Yummy! Made a nice Asian bowl with some orange sauce and it was perfect! Found at Grocery Outlet for $1.99!