Aldi Frozen Fish and Chips Review – British Beer Battered Haddock
Author’s Note: I have nooo affiliation with Aldi, and this is an unpaid and unbiased review.
If it seems too good to be true…
Aldi advertised these frozen fish and chips meals for $1.95 each, so I planned a trip just to get this eye-popping bargain. Imagine my dismay when they were actually $5.49 in the store. And yes, I have a screenshot of the sales ad as proof. And yes, other people on the internet noted this fierce price disappointment as well. Alas, cruel world.
But, I REALLY like fish and chips, so I bought ’em anyway! Just keep swimming! Swimming! Swimming….
The box contains a plastic bag of frozen french fries, and an unwrapped breaded haddock filet. Yes, it just slides out of the box like this. In its birthday suit.
There is only one preparation method on the label: oven. No, you can’t microwave this. Don’t even think about it. I wanted to cook this in my countertop toaster oven, but I realized the fries and fish take up waaaay too much space for my wee halfling baking sheet. So, I grudgingly fired up my full-size oven instead.
I baked my meal on a parchment-lined pan at 450 for 13 minutes, then flipped the fish over and baked for another 12 minutes. This was perfect. The fish came out sizzling and popping as if it had just been deep fried.
The breading is lovely. It’s crisp and fluffy. It has a faint “beer” aroma. It makes a delicate snap-crackling sound with every bite. There is, unfortunately, not a lot of flavor. The fish is tender, but very, very bland. It needs salt. And flavor? Mostly salt. If you’re adding a sauce to yours, this might be enough to fix it. Maybe.
Do Brits really eat bland food like this???
The haddock texture is decent for frozen/baked filet. It’s verrrry moist and soft, but not mushy. The meat is mostly white, although I had a few squashy gray parts on mine. It’s not AS fresh tasting as a restaurant order, but it’s still pretty good. Great for a frozen fish.
The fries come out of the oven with an exceptionally crispy crust. They’re soft inside. Fantastic texture contrast. But these are the blandest french fries I’ve ever eaten. Like, ever. I tried salting mine after they came out of the oven, but the salt didn’t stick at all. You might try salting them before they bake. Maybe. The outsides are dry. They don’t have a seductive oiliness or a fried taste — they taste like crunchy baked potato sticks. Like some kind of sad diet substitute. I would eat potatoes in almost any manifestation, so of course I gobbled them up! Potatoes are my dearest friends. Even when they taste like this.
If you eat them with ketchup, they’re probably fine. I usually eat my fries plain.
(Looking for a more flavorful option? Check out my review of these Extra Crispy French Fries from Costco.)
Portion-wise, this is a generous amount for a frozen single-serve meal. It may not be as enormous as a restaurant meal, but it’s pretty filling. The box says there are 39 grams protein per serving. I don’t have a science lab in my basement where I can confirm that, but I did weigh the haddock before I baked it, and it was just over 4 ounces. A good bit of that is breading, of course. But, still pretty meaty and satisfying.
Also, I don’t have a basement.
Ingredients in Aldi Frozen Fish and Chips
I was surprised to see the fish is caught in the United Kingdom (Scotland & Ireland). That makes it seem more authentic, somehow. It’s nice to see the real beer in the breading, and the turmeric and paprika (for coloring?) in the fries. Modified food starch and dextrin are not ideal. Will I still eat it? You bet.
More information from the label:
- Wild Caught
- Product of United Kingdom
- MSC Certified Sustainable Seafood
- FAO 27: (Subarea IV – North Sea, Division Vla – Northwaest coast of Scotland and North Ireland or West of Scotland)
- Catch Method: Trawls, Seines, Hooks and Lines
Nutrition Facts
A serving is one package, and contains 800 calories. Yes, a hearty meal! You get 32 grams of fat and 39 grams of protein. Surprisingly, there’s also TEN grams of fiber, but only 3 grams of sugar (zero grams “added sugar”). I hope the fiber isn’t a typo, like the price was! Ahem. There’s 38% your daily value of sodium, and 89 grams of carbohydrates total.
Price and Servings
The 14-ounce box cost $5.49 at my local Aldi. There is just one meal/serving per box. Per ounce, that is 39 cents.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my package allowed approximately a year to consume.
Cooking Instructions
Here are the actual instructions, from the label. Everything cooks from frozen with no thawing. Notably, you cannot microwave this, and should not refreeze after cooking.
Dramatic Conclusion
It needs salt. And some flavor. But, pretty good. Great textures. And a generous meal. You’ll probably want some kind of sauce for this. Besides your saucy attitude.
The End.
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