Tin foil dinners can be really delicious. This Foil Packet Shrimp is more than that – it’s amazing. After you take your foil packets – full of flavor and nutrients – off the grill, you’ll cut them open and behold the vibrant, aromatic fruits of your labor. You’ll then sprinkle the most delightful of dry seasonings on the contents: ground, toasted coriander and mustard seeds and lemon zest. FREAKING FANTASTIC. Warm, sweet corn, tender, juicy zucchini, and delicate shrimp will wow you while sweet cherry tomatoes burst in your mouth. Move over hamburger and potatoes, because there’s a higher-class foil packet in town.
Tips (unsponsored): We are pretty picky about shrimp. They must adhere to strict textural qualifications (be firm and gray when raw and really meaty – not grainy, for lack of a better word – when cooked. It’s hard to describe the textural difference between “good” and “bad” shrimp, but there truly is a distinct difference). They should smell of the sea but not bad. We are always happy with the raw shrimp in Costco’s frozen case. This recipe calls for you to add a splash of wine or water before closing the foil packet. We suggest using wine for the lovely depth of flavor it offers. If you’re like us and don’t drink alcohol but use small amounts to cook with, check your local grocery store for mini chardonnay bottles. Our local Walmart carries a six-pack of mini, plastic chardonnay bottles that are perfect for cooking – no wasting the rest of a big bottle or freezing in cubes required.
Be sure to thinly slice your zucchini so that it gets done. We suggest using a mandolin or food processor.
This would also be lovely on some slices of peasant or baguette, drizzled with olive oil and toasted. It would bulk up the meal a bit as well, as this is a light dinner.
Have your kids help you place ingredients on the foil. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with those you love, teach them about some of the ingredients:
- Corn has a lot of lutein, which is great for your eyes.
- Shrimp is a good source of copper, which strengthens your body tissue.
- Zucchini contains antioxidants, which are awesome for your eyes.
Adapted slightly from: Foil Packet Fish
- Large shrimp, 1½ pounds (peeled and deveined; tails intact)
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup zucchini or yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 2 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen
- 4 springs fresh thyme
- 4 splashes of white wine
- Kosher salt, pepper
- Olive oil
- Lemon-Coriander Seasoning:
- 1.5 teaspoons each coriander seeds and mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper
- *You will need heavy-duty tin foil.
- Lay out 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil.
- Mound 1 cup vegetables in the center of each, season with salt and pepper and top with a sprig of thyme.
- Put the shrimp on top of the vegetables; season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- Add a splash of white wine (or water).
- Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal; fold in the sides to seal, leaving room for steam.
- Grill or campfire method: Preheat a grill to medium high or light a campfire and put a cooking grate in place. Grill the foil packets until the fish is just cooked through, 10 minutes. (While the packets are cooking, make your topping, see below.)
- Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and add your topping.
- Oven method: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the foil packets on a baking sheet; bake until the shrimp is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. (While the packets are cooking, make your topping, see below) Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and add your topping.
- Make the Lemon-Coriander Seasoning: Toast the coriander seeds and mustard seeds in a dry skillet.
- Coarsely grind in a spice grinder (or crush with a skillet).
- Mix with the grated lemon zest and the kosher salt and pepper.
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