Costco

[geoff]

Shrimp are fun to eat but painful to prepare: all that peeling and deveining gets in the way of mixing a decent Plymouth martini. So last night I used frozen Costco shrimp for the first time and my shrimp-prep effort consisted of cutting open a bag. The results were as good as those from my supermarket or fishmonger, at a third of the cost and 1/1000th of the effort.

Heretofore, I'd confined my Costco edibles to wine and the occasional three-pack of Flavor-Blasted Goldfish. But the 2-pound resealable bags of raw peeled and deveined 31-40 count shrimp are a godsend for shrimp lovers like myself who loath the manual labor inherent in shrimp preparation. (They also sell the precooked variety, but I like the flavor shrimp releases as it cooks.) I don't know if they offer larger sizes but the 31-40 specimens are perfect for pasta or ceviche or any number of other dishes. The bags sell for about $12.00 each.

And the flavor? Well, for me the taste difference between good and great shrimp is miniscule. Costco's compare favorably with those I've caught in Hood Canal and eaten right on the boat.

Yes, there are other types of frozen shell- and finfish in Costco’s hangar-sized freezer units, but why bother with those? One surely doesn’t have to forgo cocktail hour to prepare fresh halibut or cod.

[LaurieA-B]

...the occasional three-pack of Flavor-Blasted Goldfish.

Mmm... love that seafood!

(Lest you think I am being sarcastic, Goldfish are my favorite snack.)

[Gifted Gourmet]

The main seafood I buy, fresh from my Costco, are those luscious slabs of boneless and skinless salmon!

[Jason Perlow]

Their IQF frozen scallops are also pretty good.

[little ms foodie]

I don't usually buy seafood at Costco as the salmon is almost always farm raised which I absolutley refuse to eat. but just a heads up, the S. Seattle location has fresh wild whole coho right now for around $3.40/lb. We bought one on Sat for $12!!!

Besides that I stick to the chicken and meat.......

Edited August 16, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[trillium]

Are the heads cut off at your location? I hate buying whole fish when I can't see the eyes and gills, so I've never bought salmon at Costco, but I've been tempted.

regards,

trillium

[girl chow]

I don't usually buy seafood at Costco as the salmon is almost always farm raised which I absolutley refuse to eat

I bought some last weekend. It was fabulous. I have never bought the frozen shrimp before, but I'm considering it now. I hate the labor involved with peeling/deveining, yada yada

[MGLloyd]

Trader Joe's sells the one pound bag of 31-40 peeled and deveined shrimp for $ 5.99 per bag. Also excellent quality, and they also stock additional sizes for equally reasonable prices. For me, when I have a shrimp fix, it is easier to stop at the Everett TJs as opposed to the Silver Lake Costco, where I never seem to exit the place for less than $ 100.

[BastilaShan]

Speaking of shrimp, just some OT...

Sonya Thomas, a 105-lb woman ate 5.3 pounds of shrimp in ten minutes.

[little ms foodie]

Are the heads cut off at your location? I hate buying whole fish when I can't see the eyes and gills, so I've never bought salmon at Costco, but I've been tempted.

regards,

trillium

yes, the head was cut off so we had to go with the smell test. Smelt clean and fresh but I agree that looking at the eyes and the gills is the best way to go.

[kiliki]

the S. Seattle location has fresh wild whole coho right now for around $3.40/lb. We bought one on Sat for $12!!!

Ballard Market had them for $2.99/lb.

[JayBassin]

I used to get good veal shoulder roasts at my local Costco, but for the past six months they've not had them. I recently asked and was told they no longer sell veal. Is this a general Costco policy, and if so, does anyone know if it was because veal doesn't sell, or is it just my store (Beltsville, MD)?

[jayt90]

I used to get good veal shoulder roasts at my local Costco, but for the past six months they've not had them. I recently asked and was told they no longer sell veal. Is this a general Costco policy, and if so, does anyone know if it was because veal doesn't sell, or is it just my store (Beltsville, MD)?

←

Could be a local or regional (East coast) decision. I can still get veal cutlets, veal stew meat, and ground veal (sometimes) at my local Costco. We never had the shoulder roasts available here.

[Gifted Gourmet]

As far as selling veal by Costco goes, most stores are apparently still selling the meat. I don't think that this is one of those big "moral issue" stories but rather stocking and convenience.

[JayBassin]

Thanks, GG! I guess I'll try another Costco.

[Raoul Duke]

Costco here, San Luis Obispo, CA has veal for scaloppine, no other cuts. I believe they look at the market place residents for direction on what to stock. I have never seen veal at the Santa Maria, CA Costco, plus the SLO wine selection is much larger.

Raoul

[Gifted Gourmet]

Thanks, GG! I guess I'll try another Costco.

←

As I say, I think they might just not be stocking it as much at your local Costco ... mine always has veal .. and the prices are fine.

[llc45]

My husband and I looooooooove Costco, even though we only have a family of three. Who says you need a big family to shop there? We tend to buy staples that we believe offer good value/quality like meats, fish, cheeses, cereal, etc. Unfortunately, I think we still lose money because we also tend to buy lots of non-food items that are a "great buy", even if we didn't need em or want em in the first place! There's a reason Costco puts the food all the way in the back (so they can reel in suckers like us on the way there). Anyway, that is a different topic altogether and probably needs it's own 12 step program.

We tend to rush through the food section to buy the same types of items we always get and don't generally look around much (in the food section that is ). However, now I am wondering what I am missing. I recently read elsewhere on this site that the Costco tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar are quite good. Ditto the organic chicken broth for times when you don't have time to make stock. I generally buy these types of items at a higher end purveyor, never thinking that Costco would hit the mark in this area, even for every day use. I also think I saw a thread on mixed dried mushrooms. Interested in finding out what everyone recommends buying from Costco...

(Do I really have to admit that I also have a Sam's Club membership? Nope - but if you have any recommendations, I'd sure like to hear them! They had a great buy on lawn furniture this summer that made it worth while. Really)

[Joe Blowe]

For the price, Costco fresh-roasted coffee kicks ass.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I always buy:

fresh Costco salmon filets,

colossal green stuffed olives in glass jars,

skinless, boneless salmon in cans (packed 6 each),

hearts of palm in glass jars,

and roses @ $15 for 2 dozen ...

the rest of what I bring home depends upon my needs and what looks nice that day ...

[Raoul Duke]

Chanterelle mushrooms are back, fresh 16 oz. for $ 7.99. Living in Paso Robles I find their wine prices cheaper than the wineries at times and this includes a large local selection. The cheese selection here has grown large and extremely diverse with imports and domestics.

[gperls]

I always get their pasturized lump crab in a can, in the refrigerated section. Also, their 3-pack of baby back ribs and U-12 frozen raw shrimp. And when they're on sale, their Alaskan king crab legs are great.

[BekkiM]

My staples at Costco (and we too have a family of 3, so you're not alone there!) are:

* Organic chicken broth

* Olive oil

* Maple syrup (my parents in Vermont can't make enough to keep up with our demand)

* Dried fruit and nuts

* Meats of all kinds (Costco's quality is significantly better than our local grocery stores and I can't shop at Whole Paycheck every day)

* Fruit (we go through an amazing amount of blueberries, applies, bananas, strawberries and cherries)

* Organic salad mix (Costco's just seems to last better than the bags at the grocery store)

* Parmesan cheese

* Frozen shrimp

* Frozen edamame

At Christmas time, I also buy my eggs, butter, cream, sugar, flour, etc. for the massive quantities of cookies I make to distribute.

[Terrasanct]

I live in a town with no good grocery stores, so I'm glad to have Costco. There are only two of us at home, so I don't buy as much produce there as I used to, but there are some things I always get there--

Coffee, sharp Cheddar, eggs, maple cured bacon, rosemary olive oil bread, balsamic vinegar (it's aged for quite a while, I think), salad mixes, canned chili for my husband, salmon, and the meats, which are better than any other store here. Sometimes I'll pick up wine and beer, too. Oh, and cream cheese in the big block if I'm going to make a cheesecake.

I don't use a lot of convenience or processed foods, but I like to try the samples, anyway.

[muichoi]

Clearly no concern about their MO, then!