Aldi Macadamia Crusted Flounder (Specially Selected) Review
A fishy redemption arc.
Ehh. I saw this Macadamia Nut Top Crusted Flounder in the Aldi Weekly Ad, and it looked yummish, so I bought it. I don’t usually buy the Specially Selected brand from Aldi, so this was a leap of faith for me. I was a bit stunned when I opened the box at home and saw my frozen flounder fillets.
They were in pretty bad shape — two of them had lost half their breading, and there were not many nut pieces left stuck to the surface. The missing nuts and breading wasn’t (entirely) in the bag, so it fell off before these were packaged and shipped. Grrrr.
Anyway. I was feeling rather salty about my abused fishes. Based on their frozen appearance, I did not expect them to turn out particularly well after baking. But I was wrong. They turned out great.
The breading is remarkably crunchy and flavorful. It has an almost cheesy taste. Savory and rich tasting. I did not use any extra oils on mine, but the fish came out of the oven sizzling and with a small ring of oil around the edges, like it had just been fried. The bottom was crusty and crispy, too — not just the top.
The actual macadamia nuts are not much of a “thing” here — there aren’t enough of them to be a distinct taste, and mine were in very small pieces. It’s really the rest of the breading and seasoning that contributes to the excellent taste.
I think what MOST impresses me is how the outside is so crunchy, while the inside remains consistently moist. The flounder meat is soft and flaky. It doesn’t have an overpowering fishy taste (although there was a fishy smell before I cooked it). There’s no slimy skin attached, jut the white fish meat and the crispy breading. My flounder had a strong, but pleasing saltiness. It was flavorful all the way through, not just on the outside.
The fish fillets are different sizes. I got two bigger ones and two smaller ones. However, they are all a tad small, in the grand scheme of things. Although you are technically getting about 3 ounces per fillet, not all of that is fish, because there’s a lot of breading and oil here. You might only get 2 ounces of actual meat. This wasn’t a very “meaty” meal in the end. I might serve these fillets with heartier side dishes to compensate for this.
I served my flounder on a salad, but in hindsight, this was a mistake. The crunchiness was wasted once the fish mixed into the salad greens and dressing. Next time, I would serve this with sides like cooked vegetables or pasta, but not in (or on) a salad — or anything else that would obscure the texture and taste.
Aldi also had two other flavors of these crusted flounder fillets: Tortilla and Coconut. Will I buy this again, or try those other flavors? I don’t know. I was disappointed once I realized what was in my fish. I didn’t look closely at the ingredients in these flounder fillets before I bought them, so I was dismayed when I finally read the label. More about that later.
Preparation Instructions for Aldi Macadamia Crusted Flounder
I baked mine on parchment paper in my countertop toaster oven at 400 degrees for 16 minutes. My toaster has an air fryer function, so it bakes faster/at a higher temp than regular baking. The tops of my fish got a little too dark, so next time I’ll dial the temp back and cook for a few minutes less.
Nutrition Facts and Price for Aldi Macadamia Crusted Flounder
The 12.5 ounce box contained 4 flounder fillets and cost $6.99. That means each fillet costs $1.75.
There’s only 9 grams of protein per fillet, which is not much for a serving of meat. There’s 2 grams of added sugar, and 6 grams of fat. For a fish with a “fried” taste, this is very little fat.
Ingredients in Aldi Specially Selected Macadamia Flounder
The flounder is wild-caught and labeled as a “Certified Sustainable Seafood” by MSC.
I don’t love the rest of these ingredients. Way too many extra chemicals and unnecessary “stuff.” Mega cringe at the cottonseed oil and the artificial flavors. Ugh. If you are sensitive to sulfites like I am, just be aware that there is sulfur dioxide added, too.
Anyway, here are the ingredients:
- Flounder
- Water
- Vegetable oil (Canola oil, Cottonseed oil, and/or Soybean oil)
- Enriched wheat flour (Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulphate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic acid)
- Modified corn starch
- Contains 2% or less of: Macadamia nuts, Sugar, Dehydrated pineapple (Pineapple, Sugar, citric acid, Sulfur dioxide [added for color retention and as a preservative]), Salt, Spices, Cane sugar, Onion powder, Disodium guanylate, Disodium inosinate, Yellow corn flour, White corn flour, Sodium tripolyphosphate (to retain moisture), Egg whites, Soy sauce (Fermented soybeans and what, Salt), Maltodextrin, Yeast, Leaving (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium aluminum phosphate), Vinegar, Malted barley flour, Garlic powder, Dextrose, Soy flour, Yeast extract, Green onion, Dehydrated chives, Natural and Artificial flavors, Sea salt, Torula yeast, Extractives of annatto and paprika (color), Maple syrup, Molasses.
“Enriched wheat flour” is listed twice in a row on the label, which is surely a typo? IDK.
More Reviews of Aldi Products You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews of Aldi frozen stuff I’ve recently written:
- Aldi Fruits of the Forest Strudel (Deutsche Küche)
- Aldi Bienenstich Indulgent Cakes (Deutsche Küche)
- Aldi Bavarian Soft Pretzel Sticks (Deutsche Küche)
- Aldi Mushroom Schupfnudeln (Deutsche Küche)
- Aldi Cheese Spätzle (Deutsche Küche)
- Aldi Cherry Frangipane Tart (Deutsche Küche)
Author’s note: I have no affiliation with Aldi, and I wasn’t compensated in any way for this review.
