Today I have a foil packet shrimp on grill recipe! This meal is absolute perfection when the weather warms up and you’re craving something light, fresh, and effortless. Foil packet shrimp is also a fantastic side to throw on the grill as a side to your main course.
Foil Packet Shrimp
When it comes to grilling, foil packets are fantastic, especially for shrimp and seafood! You won’t have to worry about the delicate shrimp overcooking on the grill tucked away in a little foil cocoon. The foil protects the seafood from direct heat and prevents it from sticking to the grill. It also makes a convenient cooking vessel for additional ingredients, such as veggies and marinades.
How do you keep shrimp from sticking to the grill?
If you’re wondering how to keep shrimp from sticking to the grill, the easiest solution is to whip out your roll of tin foil. While you won’t get that classic char, you can rest assured your fragile protein will make it to your plate and not fused to the grill grates.
Cooking Shrimp on Grill
When you cook shrimp on a grill, you can place it directly on the grill grate or toss the shrimp in a foil packet. For direct to grate cooking, shrimp is usually skewered and kept in the shell to prevent overcooking--it’s pretty basic. But foil packet shrimp allows for more flexibility and creativity with the dish. Anything you can wrap in the foil is a go!
Do you peel shrimp before grilling?
You may want to know if you can peel shrimp before grilling, and the answer is two-fold: yes, if you’re cooking shrimp in foil packets, no, if you’re placing them directly on the grill. On the high heat of a grill, the intact shell is insurance that the shrimp doesn’t cook too quickly and toughen up.
The foil can act as a protective shell too! So I clean, devein, and peel the shrimp completely before tossing them in the foil packets. In a foil packet, deciding to peel or not to peel is more a matter of personal preference than cooking necessity. I’d rather dive right into my meal than peel away shells before the big event. ?
Foil Packet Shrimp on Grill Recipe
Our foil packet shrimp on grill recipe makes enough for eight foil packets. If you’re cooking for a smaller group, just scale it down. In the recipe card below, simply adjust the number of servings and the recipe will recalculate for you.
Shrimp, coconut oil, lime juice, garlic, fresh ginger, red cabbage, cilantro, and sea salt brings the dish to life. First, the shrimp is marinated in a coconut oil-lime juice mixture generously flavored with ginger and garlic.
While the shrimp is marinating, prep your sheets of foil and create small beds of red cabbage for each packet. Divvy the marinated shrimp on top of the cabbage, wedge your sliced limes in there, then garnish with sea salt and cilantro.
Seal the packets and pop them on the grill, about 6 minutes on each side. Once the shrimp is no longer translucent, crack the shrimp foil packets open to release the heat. This will help the shrimp stop cooking and prevent the seafood from getting tough and chewy. Give the packets a nice stir and throw some more cilantro on top to serve.
If red cabbage isn’t your thing, nix it from the recipe or swap it out with a veggie you like better. Chop up some zucchini or slice it into noodly-threads. Make it a rice and shrimp foil packet with riced cauliflower. Slice up some bell peppers or toss some mushrooms into the mix. Feel free to tweak this for your taste buds!
Foil Packet Shrimp in Oven
If you want to cook the shrimp foil packets in the oven instead of on the grill, no problem. Just preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake them for 12 to 15 minutes total, or until shrimp is opaque, flipping the packets halfway through.
How to Store Foil Packet Shrimp
If you have leftovers, you can store the foil packet shrimp for up to 2 to 3 days. Don’t just close the foil packets up and hope for the best! Remove the food from the foil packets, place it in airtight containers, and refrigerate for proper storage.
Tools to Make Foil Packet Shrimp and Shrimp on Grill
Foil - For foil packet shrimp, the foil is a pretty obvious tool to execute the recipe. You probably have it on hand already and you definitely don’t need anything fancy. But! They do make pre-cut foil sheets which are absolutely perfect for making foil packet meals. As someone who struggles to rip a sheet of foil off in a clean line, these clean-cut sheets make me happy.
Aluminum Grill Bags - Yep. They make legit grill bags exactly for foil packets on the grill!
Paring knife - When it comes to cleaning and peeling shrimp, a good paring knife is a godsend. It really does make the job easier. This is the one I love and recommend.
More Keto Shrimp Recipes To Try
Low Carb Vietnamese Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 pounds shrimp Cleaned, deveined, shell and tail removed
- ¼ cup coconut oil Or cooking oil of choice
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp ginger freshly grated
- ½ head red cabbage shredded, optional
- 1 lime thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp sea salt to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Ensure shrimp has been adequately deveined and cleaned. Place shrimp in a resealable bag.
- If coconut oil is solid, gently heat to a liquid state. Combine coconut oil with lime juice, garlic, and ginger using an immersion blender, small food processor, or hand whisking. Add mixture to the bag, seal, and shake to thoroughly coat shrimp. Allow shrimp to marinate for 5 minutes.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat while shrimp is marinating.
- Prepare two 10x10-inch foil sheets for each packet.
- Evenly divide red cabbage between each foil packet, placing the vegetable in the center. Place marinated shrimp on top of cabbage. Tuck lime slices into the shrimp. Top with sea salt and cilantro.
- Fold each side of the foil over the shrimp and seal.
- Place each foil packet on the grill for 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully flip each foil packet over and grill for an additional 6 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp are no longer translucent.
- Carefully remove packets from grill and open each one to vent and prevent overcooking. Stir contents of the foil packet prior to serving and garnish with additional cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Tasha–nutritionist, recipe developer, and multi-published cookbook author.
This recipe is really interesting, I would never had thought of cooking the shrimps like that ! I tried it and it was indeed super tasty ! Thanks for sharing all your recipes 🙂
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! We enjoyed cooking the shrimp on the grill all summer and the foil packets made things so simple. Thank you for the great feedback!
Delicious and easy! Used avocado oil in place of coconut oil and tasted great.
Thanks for leaving feedback and the way the alternative oil turned out, super helpful to the readers! Avocado oil sounds delicious.