Foil Packet Dinner: Shrimp Boil Packets

Shrimp boil is one of my favorite Gulf Coast dishes. Typically, seafood boils are a laborious process and more of a special occasion meal.

This shrimp boil in foil packets recipe brings the flavors of the Gulf to your grill or oven and takes less than 40 minutes. It’s so good and SO EASY it’s a meal we’ve eaten on a random Tuesday.

Make-ahead tip: Assemble foil packets and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.

• 10 average-sized red potatoes, or about 3 lbs total, cubed, as I chose red potatoes because they hold their shape the best when cooked twice, par-boiled and steamed in a foil packet, and don’t get too mealy like russets do
• 1 ear of corn, shucked, cut into thirds then cut in half for smaller pieces, since frozen corn rounds can be added in lieu of fresh
• 1/2 ring andouille sausage cut into 1/2-inch slices, because Andouille sausage adds a smoky, savory flavor to the packets and you can’t go wrong with this ingredient.
• 24-30 medium-large or 31/40 to 21/25 size shrimp, peeled, deveined, as smaller shrimp may overcook and get rubbery while larger shrimp may not fully cook in this timeframe, making medium-large the ticket.
• 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning – Feel free to substitute another seafood seasoning if you like. Just don’t leave it out.
• 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted, to divide between packets and drizzle inside before closing.

For the Brown Butter Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter
• In a small saucepan over low heat add the butter. Stir constantly until brown. Keep a close eye on this, as it can go from golden-brown to blackened in a flash. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl for dipping.
• You have to make the brown butter dipping sauce. Do not skip it. It’s pretty darned good stuff.

Old Bay is a combination of celery salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne and other spices that complement seafood. If you can’t find any, you can try combining smoked paprika and celery salt with a pinch of cayenne for a rough imitation.

How to Make Shrimp Boil Foil Packets

Step 1: Par-Cook the Potatoes and Corn

Boil potatoes and corn in water for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well.

Step 2: Combine Everything in One Bowl

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, potatoes, corn, sausage, Old Bay, garlic, salt, pepper, butter and lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Mix well to combine.

Make sure everything is evenly mixed and seasoned. You want to make sure all of the potatoes and shrimp are coated with the buttery Old Bay mixture.

Step 3: Assemble the Foil Packets

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Cut four approximately 12×12 inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Add 1/4 of the shrimp and potato mixture to the foil. Bring the two longer sides together in the middle and then tightly roll the two ends to make sure the pouch is completely sealed so all of the steam stays inside the packet as it cooks.

Repeat with remaining ingredients. You can also pick up pre-sized Reynolds foil packets at the grocery store that make the process easier and make a neater seal.

They tend to hold up better on the grill and are less likely to tear during cooking.

Step 4: Cook the Packets

Place the four foil packets on the grill. Cook for 10 minutes, use a pair of tongs to flip each foil packet and continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the shrimp is fully cooked, pink and opaque, and the potatoes are tender with a fork.

Alternatively, you can cook these packets in the oven: Place them in an oven-safe dish and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, with no need to turn these over in the oven. Remove from heat and enjoy.

Remove the foil packets from the oven about 18 minutes in. Open them carefully as hot steam will escape and check the shrimp.

If they’re cooked through, being opaque/pink in color with no translucency and just slightly curled, remove them from the oven. If not, return to the oven and check again.

The shrimp will continue to cook once they’re removed from the oven, so err on the side of taking them out early.

Step 5: Make the Brown Butter Sauce

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 4 tablespoons of butter and cook until foamy. As the butter cooks, it’ll settle and turn into nutty smelling light amber colored specks.

Total cooking time will be about 4-5 minutes. When ready, the butter should look like this:

Those amber colored specks are caramelized milk solids. Leave them be, since it’s not clarified butter, it’s browned butter.

When done, remove butter from heat and pour into a small bowl for shrimp dipping.

Step 6: Serve

Serve shrimp, potatoes, veggies, and browned butter right in the foil, or dump everything onto plates. Both options are delicious.

Enjoy!

Tips for Getting These Right

Don’t skip the par-boil: Potatoes are a very dense vegetable. When cooking shrimp and potatoes together, par-boil potatoes for 10 minutes before adding to your packets.

The residual heat and steam from the foil won’t be enough to cook the potatoes while the shrimp cook so quickly. If you skip the boil, you’ll pull your packets out 20 minutes later and be greeted with very unboiled potatoes.

Don’t overcook the shrimp: Shrimp will be done when they are opaque/pink in color with no translucency and just slightly curled. If they’re curled into a “C”, they’re overdone.

Keep an eye on them towards the end.

Use heavy duty foil: These are perfect for grilling as well as the oven. Just make sure to use heavy duty aluminum foil if cooking on the grill.

Regular aluminum will most likely rip when turning packets over. You can also lay 2 pieces of regular aluminum foil for the packet.

Andouille sausage brings a smoky, spicy, Cajun kick. Substitute an equal amount of smoked kielbasa for a smoky flavor with none of the spice.

Chorizo is another option but will make for a differently seasoned dish.

No corn on the cob?

If you have frozen corn on the cob, break off enough to fill each packet and add it in with everything else. Alternatively, you can use canned corn (drained well!).

It won’t be as tasty as par-boiled corn off the cob, but it’s another option if you’re looking to save time. The canned corn will pick up the Old Bay seasoning really well and have a slightly different texture.

Can you add other vegetables?

Sliced onions and/or sliced peppers are another option to toss into the mix. Zucchini is fine to include as well; just cut it into larger pieces since it softens quickly.

There’s no need to pre-cook these additions and they won’t get mushy in the packet.

What if my kids don’t like spicy food?

Old Bay isn’t super-spicy itself. I like the kick of adding a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne but that’s up to your preference.

To tone down the spiciness for picky eaters, use half of the called-for Old Bay and use kielbasa in lieu of andouille or decrease the amount of andouille.

Tips for Foil Packet cooking success:

• Invest in these Reynolds Ready Cut foil packets. They’ve saved my sanity on hectic weeknights. I always struggle to make nice-looking square-shaped foil packets and they cook so well on the grill.
• You can prep the foil packets up to four hours ahead of time (after par-boiling ingredients) and leave them in the fridge. Add an additional three-four minutes of cooking time, since they’ll be coming out of the fridge.
• Resist using smaller shrimp. You’ll end up with rubbery shrimp before your potatoes are cooked. Stick with medium-large ones, around 21/25 to 31/40 count.

Serving Ideas

There is protein, starch, and a veggie in each packet, making them a whole meal on their own. They’re a fantastic, healthy, and easy option when life gets crazy, including naptime ended early, multiple school pickups, you name it.

Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls with lots of browned butter for dipping. Also, I like this dish with a simple green salad with a vinaigrette to cut through all of the deliciousness of the shrimp.

A couple of fresh lemon wedges right before eating is fantastic. Maybe with a cold beer or lemonade…and you’ve got yourself the perfect summer cookout meal.

Leftovers?

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within two days. You can reheat in a skillet with some butter, but I would probably make a rice with the sausage and potatoes or add it to a shrimp salad.

Reheated shrimp does not always have the best texture (kind of rubbery), so I like to add to other dishes. Not a fan of trying to freeze them for this reason plus potatoes get a little watery upon reheating.

If you know you won’t eat them all right away…cook the shrimp about 2 minutes shy of done and they will finish up in the skillet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen shrimp?

Absolutely, but make sure to defrost first by rinsing in cold water in a sink. Make sure to dry shrimp well before seasoning, otherwise, all of that moisture is going to make your delicious Old Bay butter sauce…well…not so delicious and more on the runny side…and the seasoning will adhere better to dry shrimp.

Can I make these in the oven instead of the grill?

You can, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and have comparable results. We live in Iowa…so I’m sure you know I’m going to be making these in the oven about 1/2 the year.

Ha! Charring the foil a little on the outside doesn’t change the cooking process occurring on the inside.

How do I know when the shrimp are done?

If making in the oven, open packets after 18 minutes and check. If cooking on the grill, peek after about 15-16 minutes.

Shrimp should be cooked through and have changed to an opaque pink color with a C-shape, not curled further than a loose C-shape. If shrimp still has a milky/translucent color on the inside, reseal the foil and cook 2-3 minutes.

Check again.

What if I don’t have Old Bay?

See above in the recipe.