These days, you usually see taiyaki used as a soft serve cone with a swirl of matcha coming out of the fish’s mouth. But the classic filling is red bean paste (anko). You might also see chocolate or custard like these Trader Joe’s Mini Taiyaki. They come 8 to a bag and you just pop them in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes. Conventional oven is slightly longer. And I wouldn’t microwave. You want them crispy not flabby.
I went for the full 8 minutes to ensure maximum crispness. I let them cool for a minute or two to set up the pictures and the custard filling isn’t too gloopy (or burning hot) when you bite into it. They’re good. Not super amazing, but good.
If I can be be picky about it for a second. The custard is a little sweeter than I like. And while the custard does have vanilla syrup, I wish it was more eggy and vanilla-y like a cream puff or eclair filling. (I really loved TJ’s now discontinued Italian Cream Puffs with a Custard filling. These don’t quite scratch the same itch).
I kept things simple. But you could top them with a little ice cream and chocolate sauce, if you want, but you’d be hiding the fish shape!
At the Japanese market I’ve typically seen taiyaki in the frozen section as ice cream sandwiches, so I’m gonna have to look on my next trip and see if they have a similar custard version. Would I buy Trader Joe’s Mini Taiyaki again? Maybe. I’d pick these over the Portuguese Donuts (malasadas). But I’m more likely to grab a gluten-free mini yellow sheet cake. :D
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)