Camping meals need to be simple, tasty, and easy to clean up. These shrimp foil packets check every box and bring restaurant quality flavors to your campsite without the fuss. Everything cooks together in sealed foil over your campfire or grill, which means no pots or pans to scrub afterward.
This recipe combines juicy shrimp with smoky sausage, sweet corn, and tender potatoes in a buttery Old Bay seasoning blend. The foil packet method steams everything together so the flavors mix beautifully. Each person gets their own packet, which makes serving easy and keeps cleanup to almost nothing.
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound baby red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 ears of corn on the cob, cut into chunks
- 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- Juice from half a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
Steps to Make Them
- Before you start assembling your packets, bring a pot of salted water to a boil at your campsite. Cut the corn into chunks and dice the potatoes into one inch pieces if needed. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for three minutes. Then drop in the corn pieces and boil everything together for another four minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
- While the vegetables cool slightly, make your seasoned butter mixture. Combine the melted butter with minced garlic, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir everything together until well mixed.
- Grab a large bowl and add your shrimp, the par boiled potatoes and corn, sliced sausage, and onion pieces. Pour the seasoned butter mixture over everything and toss gently to coat all the ingredients.
- Tear off four large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil, about 18 inches long. Spray the center of each piece with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Divide the shrimp mixture evenly among the four pieces of foil, piling everything in the center.
- Fold the foil into sealed packets by bringing the long edges together over the food. Fold them over each other a few times to create a tight seam. Then roll up both ends toward the center so nothing can leak out. Wrap each packet in a second layer of foil for extra protection against the heat.
- Place your foil packets on a grill grate over your campfire or directly on hot coals if your fire has died down to embers. Cook for about seven minutes, then carefully flip each packet with tongs. Cook for another seven minutes on the other side. The packets will puff up as the steam builds inside.
- Remove the packets from the heat and let them cool for a few minutes before opening. Be careful when you unwrap them because hot steam will escape. Top each serving with fresh chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Getting Ready at Home
Smart campers do their prep work before leaving home. This recipe works great for making ahead, which saves time and effort at the campsite.
You can assemble the entire foil packets the night before your trip. Just prepare all the ingredients, fold them into the packets, and store them in your cooler. When dinner time comes, pull them out and place them right over the fire.
Another option is to prep the components separately. Make the seasoned butter and store it in a small container. Par boil the potatoes and corn at home, let them cool completely, and refrigerate until you pack your cooler. This way everything takes up less space and you can still put the packets together quickly at camp.
Pre-slicing the sausage and storing the shrimp in a sealed bag saves even more time. Keep raw shrimp cold and use them within two days for food safety.
Why Foil Packets Work So Well
Foil packet cooking is perfect for camping because it solves so many outdoor cooking challenges. Each packet acts like a mini oven that steams the food inside while keeping all the flavors locked in.
The double wrapped heavy duty foil protects your dinner from burning over the unpredictable heat of a campfire. Regular thin foil tears too easily and lets heat through too fast, which can burn your food on the outside while leaving it raw inside. Heavy duty foil holds up much better.
Using two layers also prevents leaks when you flip the packets. All those delicious buttery juices stay inside where they belong, which means more flavor and moisture in every bite.
Cleanup is almost nonexistent. When dinner is done, just crumple up the foil and pack it out. No pots to scrub, no plates to wash if you eat right from the packet.
Cooking Over Your Campfire
Getting the heat right makes all the difference when cooking foil packets over a fire. Flames that are too high will char the outside before the inside cooks through. You want steady heat from hot coals instead.
Let your campfire burn down until you have a good bed of glowing coals. Place a grill grate over the coals and set your packets on top. This gives you better control over the temperature and keeps everything from burning.
If you don’t have a grate, wait until the flames die down completely and place the packets directly on the coals. The double wrapped foil protects the food enough for this method to work well.
Watch for the packets to puff up, which tells you the steam is building inside and everything is cooking. Flip them halfway through so both sides get equal heat. Cooking times can vary depending on how hot your fire is, so check the contents after about 15 minutes total. The shrimp should be pink and opaque, and the potatoes should be tender when poked with a fork.
Making This Recipe Your Own
This basic shrimp foil camping recipe adapts easily to different tastes and what you have available. Swap chicken sausage for the andouille if you want a milder flavor or need to avoid pork. Turkey sausage works great too.
For spice lovers, replace the Old Bay with Cajun seasoning or add extra cayenne pepper to the butter mixture. If you have kids who are sensitive to spice, stick with the Old Bay and use just one tablespoon instead of two.
Zucchini makes a good substitute for some of the potatoes if you want more vegetables. Cut it into thick half moon shapes so it holds up to the heat. Bell peppers add nice color and sweetness when sliced into chunks.
Fresh lemon is important for brightening up all the rich flavors, so always pack a few extras. The acid cuts through the butter and brings out the sweetness in the shrimp and corn.
Serving Tips
These foil packets are complete meals on their own, but a few simple sides make dinner feel more special. Pack some crusty bread to soak up all that seasoned butter. Chips and salsa give you something crunchy to munch on while the packets cook.
A simple green salad provides a fresh contrast to the rich, savory shrimp. Just toss together whatever greens and vegetables you brought along with a quick vinaigrette.
Cold beer or lemonade pairs perfectly with the smoky, spicy flavors. Set up a picnic table with all your sides while the packets finish cooking, then let everyone grab their own steaming foil bundle.
For dessert, throw some foil wrapped banana boats on the coals while you eat dinner. By the time you finish your shrimp boil, you will have a sweet treat waiting for you.