This Aldi Frozen Fish Is Luxurious And Wildly Cheap

As a giant of the discount grocery industry, Aldi can be a great shopping option for high-quality (if not necessarily name-brand) products at reliably low prices. But this extends far beyond European-style wafer varieties. Aldi can also be a terrific spot for frozen fish, even high-end delicacies that cost many times more at a restaurant.

Aldi carries frozen ahi tuna steaks under its Specially Selected store brand. Each 12-ounce package contains two individually vacuum-sealed, flash-frozen tuna fillets. According to the label, the fish is imported, but it's processed in the U.S. And for a premium ingredient like this, a unit price of $5.35 (about $7.13 per pound) is difficult to beat.

Walmart is also well known for low prices, but its 1-pound bag of frozen ahi tuna steaks is $7.26, which would be $5.40 for a 12-ounce package more comparable to Aldi's. Other affordable supermarkets have an even bigger pricing gap: A 12-ounce bag of ahi tuna from Food Lion runs $6.99 — almost as much as the full pound from Walmart, and nearly $2 more than Aldi. One satisfied Aldi customer told Reddit, "The frozen ahi is amazing. It was the best kept secret." A former deep sea fisher added that, even compared to a fresh catch, the store's ahi does not disappoint.

You may be thinking, "There's no way that frozen ahi tuna from Aldi is going to be any good," but you'd be wrong. Frozen tuna is generally considered just as high-quality as fresh tuna because of modern industrial practices. Large fishing operations flash freeze the fish in seconds shortly after they're caught, usually on the fishing boat itself. This rapid process locks in freshness without the quality loss of slower freezing processes.

You may also be wondering if you actually need to cook Aldi's frozen ahi tuna — is frozen fish really sushi grade? No regulatory agency defines or enforces the "sushi grade" label, so it's more of a marketing term. Not only that, but yellowfin and bigeye tuna sourced elsewhere do appear on sushi and sashimi menus, so it is true that ahi tuna doesn't necessarily need to be cooked (though it's arguably best when it's only slightly seared).

Customers have reported eating these Aldi tuna steaks raw without any issue. One Reddit user asked, "Who would have thought that the Aldi tuna would make really good sashimi[?]" However, the package does indicate that the product is not for raw consumption, likely out of an abundance of caution for the inherent risks of eating any raw seafood. But this tuna also tastes great cooked: Sear a fully thawed filet in a pan under medium-high heat for two minutes per side. With the perfect outside sear enveloping a rare interior, you'll taste the surprising quality in every bite.