Reddit Is Divided Over Aldi's Stuffed Clams
Access to the best seafood is one of the regional benefits of living on the coasts. Naturally, you feel like an authority on what constitutes quality seafood. While landlocked seafood lovers may not have fresh seafood as readily available, they still know when something isn't up to par. But what happens when a store sells prepackaged frozen seafood? Well, it can be a gamble, which was evident in the divided response to Aldi's stuffed clams in a recent Reddit thread.
Considered a New England classic, with particular popularity in Rhode Island, the dish takes the clam meat and mixes it with buttered breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and onion (via Caroline's Cooking). Some recipes also will add red pepper, lemon juice, and either paprika or cayenne pepper for added flavor. The finished product is traditionally served in a clam shell.
Another similar dish is called clams casino. The main difference is that the clams casino also features bacon (via Eater).
But with so many tasty ingredients, where did Aldi's stuffed clams go wrong?
A dish divided
While Aldi is known for their great low prices and variety of brands, they may not be known for their stuffed clams anytime soon. In a recent Reddit thread, fans of the brand were torn on how they felt about the food item.
Many users critiqued the fact that there was way too much breading in the mix; as stated in this response, "I was surprised that the breading wasn't on top of a clam muscle. Instead, they are just tiny bits of chopped clam mixed into the breading."
Another user offered a tip to spruce them up, saying, "I made a sauce out of garlic, lemon juice, dill, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper. It worked, but yeah these are mostly breading, and I don't care to get them again."
Not everyone hated the packaged seafood. One user said it's about how long you cook it, stating, "They're good. Just cook em a little longer than the time on the package."
According to one user, bias might be at the core of many of the critiques, stating, "I can't find good baked clams anywhere anymore, and tbh this isn't a bad substitute. People will hate on them right away because they're packaged and from a factory, but it really isn't half bad. If you eat the whole pack, you'd probably get tired of them quickly but one or two hits the spot."
With such differing opinions, this may be one worth testing for yourself.