{"id":152,"date":"2023-11-04T01:21:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T01:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/11\/04\/aldi-specially-selected-macadamia-crusted-flounder-review\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T16:49:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:49:30","slug":"aldi-specially-selected-macadamia-crusted-flounder-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/04\/aldi-specially-selected-macadamia-crusted-flounder-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aldi Macadamia Crusted Flounder (Specially Selected) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Author\u2019s note: I have no affiliation with <\/em>Aldi<\/em><\/a>, and I wasn\u2019t compensated in any way for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fishy redemption arc.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ehh. I saw this Macadamia Nut Top Crusted Flounder in the Aldi Weekly Ad, and it looked yummish, so I bought it. I don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They were in pretty bad shape<\/strong> \u2014 two of them had lost half their breading, and there were not many<\/em> nut pieces left stuck to the surface. The missing nuts and breading wasn\u2019t (entirely) in the bag, so it fell off before these were packaged and shipped. Grrrr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anyway. I was feeling rather salty<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The breading is remarkably crunchy and flavorful.<\/strong> 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<\/em> and with a small ring of oil around the edges, like it had just been fried. The bottom was crusty and crispy, too \u2014 not just the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual macadamia nuts<\/a> are not much of a \u201cthing\u201d here \u2014 there aren\u2019t enough of them to be a distinct taste, and mine were in very small pieces. It\u2019s really the rest of the breading and seasoning that contributes to the excellent taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(For another breaded fish option from Aldi, check out my review of these Parmesan Crusted Flounder Filets<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I think what MOST impresses me is how the outside is so<\/em> crunchy, while the inside remains consistently moist. The flounder meat is soft and flaky.<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t have an overpowering fishy taste (although there was a fishy smell before I cooked it). There\u2019s no slimy<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fingers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fish fillets are different sizes. I got two bigger ones and two smaller ones. However, they are all<\/em> 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\u2019s a lot of breading and oil here. You might only get 2 ounces of actual meat. This wasn\u2019t a very \u201cmeaty\u201d meal in the end.<\/strong> I might serve these fillets with heartier side dishes to compensate for this.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> like cooked vegetables or pasta, but not<\/em> in (or on) a salad \u2014 or anything else that would obscure the texture and taste.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aldi also had two other flavors of these crusted flounder fillets: Tortilla and Coconut. Will I buy this again, or try those other flavors?<\/strong> I don\u2019t know. I was disappointed once I realized what was in my fish. I didn\u2019t look closely at the ingredients in these flounder fillets before I bought them, so I was dismayed when I finally read the label.<\/strong> More about that later.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Cooking<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Preparation Instructions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I baked mine on parchment paper in my countertop toaster oven at 400 degrees for 16 minutes.<\/strong> 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\u2019ll dial the temp back and cook for a few minutes less.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Price and Servings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 12.5 ounce box contained 4 flounder fillets and cost $6.99.<\/strong> That means each fillet costs $1.75.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s only 9 grams of protein per fillet, which is not much<\/em> for a serving of meat. There\u2019s 2 grams of added sugar, and 6 grams of fat. For a fish with a \u201cfried\u201d taste, this is very little fat.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Nutrition<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Ingredients in Aldi Macadamia Nut Crusted Flounder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The flounder is wild-caught and labeled as a \u201cCertified Sustainable Seafood<\/a>\u201d by MSC<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t love the rest of these ingredients.<\/strong> Way too many extra chemicals and unnecessary \u201cstuff.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, here are the ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n