Costco Panko Shrimp (Kirkland) + Crispy Air Fryer Recipe
Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp at Costco
Costco sells a 2.5-pound box of their Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp for $19.99. It can be found in Costco’s frozen food section near other Costco favorites, such as Tempura Shrimp, Argentine Red Shrimp, and Coconut Shrimp.
Panko bread crumbs are Japanese bread crumbs that are fantastic for frying. It is incredibly crispy, doesn’t absorb much oil, and, most importantly, lets the food within still be the star of the show.
Panko bread crumbs are lighter, flakier, crispier, and crunchier than their traditional counterparts.
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What Is Panko Shrimp?
Panko bread crumbs are a Japanese bread crumb that is fantastic for frying as it is incredibly crispy, doesn’t absorb much oil, and, most importantly, lets the food item still be the star of the show.
Panko bread crumbs are typically lighter, flakier, crispier, and crunchier than their traditional bread crumb counterparts.
The Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp are seasoned butterflied shrimp lightly coated with delicate panko bread crumbs. The end result is a delicious, light and crispy shrimp.
Non-Resealable Bag
These Costco Panko Shrimp, however, don’t come in a resealable bag, which is disappointing considering it is a Kirkland Signature product. Costco sells food in bulk and there is some reasonable expectation to be able to easily preserve that food via resealable packaging. Are we supposed to eat 50 shrimp in one sitting?
Costco items are usually large, thus making resealable bags necessary. When it comes to Costco items, I believe it is reasonable to expect all items to either be portioned individually or in resealable bags.
Costco Cost Comparison
Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp costs $19.99 at retail and $15.99 when on sale, which is a 20% discount.
Each box holds 2.5 pounds of panko shrimp, and at retail, the price per pound is $8 but will drop to $6.40 per pound when Costco puts the item on sale.
At the sale price, each shrimp goes for $0.32 to $0.40, depending on how many shrimp are in each box.
Costco vs The Competition
Because this is Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp, they can only be found at Costco, but other retailers do sell brand name panko shrimp.
Sam’s Club sells 3 pounds of Aqua Star Butterfly Panko Shrimp for $18.98, or $6.33 per pound. This is better than Costco’s retail price and right at Costco’s sale price per pound.
Target sells 20 ounces of Aqua Star Butterfly Shrimp for $10.89, or $8.71 per pound. This is slightly more expensive than Costco’s retail price for their Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp.
Costco Is Not The Winner on Price
In this case, Costco does not offer the best overall price for breaded panko shrimp.
Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp Taste Test
Cook in The Air Fryer
For these Costco Panko Shrimp, Kirkland Signature recommends a few different oven cooking options.
I opted to use my air fryer as it would save a significant amount of time. My air fryer instructions will be included below with the other cooking directions.
Obviously, the point of the air fryer is to cook the food quickly and to make it extra crispy, and that is exactly what the air fryer did. The panko shrimp came out looking beautiful, and the shrimp was cooked to 165°F.
Looks Like Chicken Nuggets With a Tail
The first thing I noticed about the shrimp was how much it reminded me of Costco’s panko-breaded chicken nuggets.
Both items use panko breading, and I couldn’t help but think these were panko breaded chicken nuggets with a shrimp tail attached. They look very, very similar.
Panko Breading - A Little Too Thick
Both items use panko breading, and I couldn’t help but think these were panko breaded chicken nuggets with a shrimp tail attached. They look very, very similar.
My biggest complaint about the breading was how thick it was. Some of the panko shrimp were maybe 60% shrimp and 40% breading.
It’s not a dealbreaker, but they would be significantly better with a lighter, more authentic panko breading or if they were tempura battered.
Needs More Shrimp Flavor
For the actual shrimp, I would say they are pretty good. I would have liked them to be a little larger, but I can’t complain about the shrimp size for $6.40 a pound.
The shrimp flavor didn’t stand out as much as it could have when combined with the panko breading. I really had to search for the shrimp flavor when I was eating these, and the portion with the most intense shrimp flavor was the tail.
Overall
Overall, Costco’s panko shrimp is a very solid product. It didn’t wow me in flavor, but it was still quite tasty. I enjoyed eating the shrimp, and I finished off the box rather quickly. Good stuff!
Costco Panko Shrimp Cooking Instructions + Air Fryer Cook
How to Cook Costco Panko Shrimp
Kirkland Signature offers 3 cooking methods for these panko shrimp, but they all, unfortunately, involve the oven.
The fried shrimp take 15-18 minutes to cook, plus whatever time it takes to get the oven preheated. You are potentially looking at 30 minutes total time to get these panko shrimp ready.
Microwaving is not recommended!
The Air Fryer Is The Easiest Option
A better alternative would be to Air Fry the Costco panko shrimp which can cut the total cook time in half, if not more. I have included my personal air fryer cooking directions below.
Are The Panko Shrimp Sold In Restaurants?
Another interesting thing to point out is that Kirkland Signature does provide commercial convection oven cooking directions. I wonder how many restaurants are serving Costco Panko Shrimp.
Bake Conventional Oven (Kirkland Recommended Method)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Arrange in a single layer, so panko shrimp don’t touch.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes on a middle oven rack.
- For best results, turn the panko shrimp over after 10 minutes.
- Let stand for 2 minutes after removing from the oven.
- Place on paper towels before serving.
- Remove from paper towels and place on a serving dish.
- For a crispier coating, follow the oven directions above, baking at 425°F.
Bake Household Convection Oven
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Arrange in a single layer, so panko shrimp don’t touch.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes on a middle oven rack.
- For best results, turn the shrimp over after 6 minutes.
- Let stand for 2 minutes after removing from the oven.
- Place on paper towels before serving.
- Remove from paper towels and place on a serving dish.
Bake Commercial Convection Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cover sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Arrange in a single layer, so shrimp don’t touch.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes on a middle oven rack.
- For best results, turn the shrimp over after 6 minutes.
- Let stand for 2 minutes after removing from the oven.
- Place on paper towels before serving.
- Remove from paper towels and place on a serving dish.
Costco Panko Shrimp Air Fryer Cooking Directions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Place shrimp in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Spritz with cooking oil for additional crispiness.
- Flip halfway through cooking time.
- Serve and enjoy.
Super Crispy Costco Panko Shrimp Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 6 Count Kirkland Signature Panko Breaded Shrimp (Costco)
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 400°F.
- Place Panko Shrimp in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Spritz with cooking oil for additional crispiness.
- Flip halfway through cooking time.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Panko Shrimp Nutritional Information and Calories
How Many Calories in Costco Panko Shrimp
One serving of Kirkland Signature Panko Shrimp is 3 shrimp pieces. Each serving contains 220 calories coming from 12 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbs, and 13 grams of protein.
This is a fascinating nutritional profile as there is nearly an equal amount of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. I do like the high amount of protein in comparison to the rest of the macronutrients.
The 220 calories for 3 fried panko shrimp seems about right.
Moderate Sodium, But Be Careful
Each serving of 3 Costco panko shrimp has 200 mg of sodium or 9% of the recommended daily value. This isn’t a lot of sodium, but eating multiple servings of these smaller panko shrimps is very easy.
I would have no problem eating 3+ servings or 9 panko shrimp, and the sodium will really start to add up.
Costco Food Database User Reviews
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Greg Larkin is the founder and managing editor of Costco Food Database, the premiere site for honest takes on all things Costco food. A self-proclaimed Costco super-fan since childhood, Greg turned his obsession in a mission to properly rate and review all of Costco’s delicious buys. When he’s not busy navigating Costco aisles, you can find Greg smoking Kirkland Signature meats, meal prepping, or perfecting his homemade jerky recipes.