Shrimp Boil Foil Packets
Cajun shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes in foil. The boil without the pot of water.
- calories
- 700
- weight
- 14 oz
- cal / oz
- 50
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Baby white potatoes | 1 lb | boiled at home until just tender |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet corn | 2 ears | each cut into 4 rounds, boiled at home with the potatoes |
| Jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined | 1 lb | frozen; let it thaw in the cooler through the day |
| Smoked sausage | 12 oz | sliced into coins |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Cajun seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Chipotle mango seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic | 4 cloves | minced at home into a small jar |
| Parsley | 2 tbsp fresh or 2 tsp dried | |
| Lemon | 1 | zest and juice |
| Salted butter | 1/2 cup | cubed |
Method
- At home: boil the potatoes and corn rounds together for 10 minutes, drain, and cool all the way before bagging. Warm vegetables in a cooler bag sweat and go slimy.
- At camp, tip the potatoes and corn into a big bowl with the shrimp and sausage. Add the oil, both seasonings, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Toss until everything is coated.
- Lay out four 12-inch squares of foil and top each with an 11-inch square of parchment. Split the mixture across the four, then scatter butter cubes on top.
- Fold the foil into sealed packets. Crimp the seams twice so the butter and juices stay in.
- Build a fire down to coals, or heat a grill to about 400F with one zone unlit. Set the packets over indirect heat, not flame.
- Cook 20 minutes. Shrimp should be pink and opaque and the potatoes should give under a fork. Rest 5 minutes before opening, and open away from your face.
A real shrimp boil needs a stockpot, gallons of water, and a way to dump it all. None of that travels. Foil packets get you the same thing by steaming everything in butter and its own liquid instead, and the only cleanup is a ball of foil.
The pre-boiled potatoes and corn are the whole trick. Shrimp needs about five minutes and raw potatoes need forty, so cooking the vegetables at home puts both on the same clock. Indirect heat matters for the same reason: over flame the butter scorches and the shrimp turn to rubber before the packet is even hot through. Shrimp is cooler food, not a hot-day-three meal, so plan it for the first night.
Packing
Potatoes and corn go in one freezer bag, sausage in another, shrimp frozen in a third at the bottom of the cooler where it doubles as ice. Seasonings, garlic, and parsley premixed in a small jar. Pre-cut the foil and parchment at home and roll them together.
Variations
- Swap the shrimp for a second sausage if you are unsure about cooler temperatures on day two.
- Old Bay in place of the two seasoning blends gets you the East Coast version.
- No parchment? Butter the foil, or the shrimp will weld to it.
https://campfirefoodie.com/shrimp-boil-foil-packet-recipe