Get the lowdown on what types of shrimp are available at your local Costco store. See how much it will cost as well as our best shopping tips. We will help you pick out what the best shrimp to buy at Costco is.
Price guide has been updated for 2023.
Are you a fan of shrimp?
Have you ever bought it at Costco before? Maybe you have not thought about it.
What does Costco even offer? Let us guide you through what you might expect to find.
Shrimp at Costco can be broken down into 2 categories - raw and cooked.
Jump to:
🦐 Raw Shrimp
Here are the options for frozen raw shrimp. The count describes the size of the shrimp. 21-25 count mean that is how many shrimp will equal a pound at that size. Thus a 21-25 size bag has larger shrimp than a 31-40 size bag.
| Farm Raised 21/25 ct (tail-on) | $15.99 for 2 lbs |
| Farm Raised 31/40 ct (tail-on) | $13.99 for 2 lbs |
| Argentina Wild Red 10/30 ct (tail-off) | $21.49 for 2 lbs |
| Cox's Key West Pink Shrimp 21/25 ct | $16.99 for 2 lbs |
| Cox's Gulf Shrimp 21/25 ct | $16.99 for 2 lbs |
When I first created this guide I was checking prices in a store in California. When I did the next update I was in Huntsville, Alabama. I found Cox's frozen shrimp there that included Key West Pink Shrimp and my favorite, Gulf Shrimp.
Argentina Wild Caught Red shrimp naturally come from the waters of Argentina or the surrounding area. They are large in size and are said to have a rich, sweet flavor, more like lobster. They may look like cooked shrimp because they are red, but they are naturally that color even when raw. Trader Joe's and ALDI carry it as well.
💡 Tip - Since raw shrimp turning red is a sign they are cooked, with Argentina Red you have to look for the shrimp to look more opaque and slightly curled. Any raw shrimp you can look for these two things to help you determine doneness.
🍤 Cooked Shrimp
Cooked shrimp tends to be more expensive because it's obviously been cooked, so that adds to the time it takes to process the shrimp. All cooked shrimp will have a red color but as we said about not all red colored shrimp is cooked.
| Farm Raised 21/25 ct (tail-off) | $17.99 for 2 lbs |
| Farm Raised 31/40 ct (tail-off) | $15.99 for 2 lbs |
| Farm Raised 50/70 ct (tail-off) | $14.99 for 2 lbs |
People like to use already cooked shrimp to make easy shrimp cocktail. The smaller size cooked shrimp would be good for salads.
If you only want to buy wild caught shrimp then you need to either buy the Cox's brand of frozen shrimp if your store has it or the Kirkland Argentina Red Shrimp.
📏 Best Size for Frying
By far my favorite way to enjoy shrimp is deep fried! You can fry any size shrimp really however I would avoid the smaller sizes (50-70 count for example). Big juicy fried shrimp is where it's at. Save the smaller sizes for salads.
At Costco for go the 21-25 count (raw or cooked) or the Argentina Red.
🍤 RECIPE - How to Make Panko Fried Shrimp with Cooked Shrimp
🧊 Frozen
Nearly all the shrimp I found at Costco was in the frozen section. Note that they do offer traveling seafood shows where you may be able to find fresh shrimp and other types of seafood not normally found. Check your local store for these kinds of events.
💡 Tip - Keep in mind when you look at seafood at Costco or any grocery store, it may have actually been previously frozen and thawed for your convenience. I prefer thawing it myself from frozen as you know exactly how long it has been thawed. Seafood can be quite perishable.
I did see a Costco that has fresh shrimp in stock. They had the jumbo farmed raised head on whole white shrimp. They were 9/11 count! That's a big shrimp! The other option for fresh shrimp was previously frozen, so that really isn't fresh.
Here were those prices:
| Farmed Whole Head On White Shrimp 9/11 | $5.99/lb |
| U=15 White Previously Frozen | $10.99/lb |
🍤 If you want to buy already breaded frozen shrimp, check out the Kirkland Panko Shrimp and the Kirkland Tempura Shrimp. See my instructions for how to cook it in the air fryer.
⚖️ Pros & Cons
When looking to buy either raw or cooked shrimp here are the pros & cons.
Raw Shrimp
👍 Pros - Better flavor and texture. Cheaper price.
👎 Cons - More work as you have to peel and devein the shrimp, takes longer to cook
If you don't like deveining shrimp, the frozen raw shrimp at Costco has been deveined already, so you don't have to count it as a con.
Cooked Shrimp
👍 Pros - Much easier to work with, you don't have to do anything to use the shrimp
👎 Cons - The texture of the shrimp could be rubbery if you overcook it, flavor is not as good, more expensive.
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