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Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packets

Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Foil Packets reads citrus 5.6, sourness 5.1 and fruity 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cajun/Creole · Cajun main, about 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.3 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 7.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 4.1 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 5.6 · Sourness 5.1 · Fruity 4.5 · Umami 4.5 · Salinity 4.3 · Richness 4.0 · Smoke 3.8 · Allium 3.4 · Marine & Briny 3.1 · Heat 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.7 · Sweetness 2.7 · Warm Spice 2.6 · Earthy 1.5 · Nutty 1.3 · Floral 1.2 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (12)

• red potatoes — 454 g
• corn — 100 g
• andouille sausage — 340 g
• jumbo shrimp — 454 g
• unsalted butter — 82 g
• garlic — 12 g
• creole seasoning — 15 g
• smoked paprika — 5 g
• salt — 5 g
• cayenne pepper — 3 g
• lemon — 65 g
• parsley — 15 g

Time & effort: about 28 min (26 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 143.4 kcal, 8.7 g protein, 11.3 g fat, 11.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Preheat a grill or oven to 400°F. Cut four 12-by-18-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the potatoes, and parboil until you can pierce the edges with a fork but the centers still resist, 8-9 minutes; drain well. This head start is what keeps the potatoes from being the one underdone bite in the packet.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne, and the juice of half the lemon to make a Cajun butter.
4. In a large bowl, toss the parboiled potatoes and corn with half of the Cajun butter until evenly coated.
5. Divide the potato and corn mixture among the foil sheets, top each pile with the sliced sausage, then fold up the foil sides into open bowls and crimp the edges loosely to seal. Place the packets on the grill grates or a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and cook until the potatoes are fully tender and the sausage is heated through, 10 minutes.
6. Carefully open each packet (hot steam will escape) and nestle the shrimp on top of the potatoes and sausage; drizzle with the remaining Cajun butter, reseal the foil tightly, and cook until the shrimp are pink, curled, and opaque all the way through, 6-7 minutes. Pulling the packets open at this halfway point, rather than dumping the shrimp in from the start, is what keeps them tender instead of rubbery.
7. Remove the packets from the heat and let rest, still sealed, 2 minutes to finish gently steaming.
8. Open the packets, scatter with parsley, and serve directly in the foil with the remaining lemon wedges alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Grilled Blackened Catfish — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
• Low Country Shrimp Boil — Southern · Lowcountry
• Kedgeree (Smoked Fish and Rice, the Colonial Descendant of Khichuri) — Indian · Anglo-Indian
• Cajun Blackened Grilled Shrimp Skewers — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
• Crispy Cajun Fried Shrimp with Remoulade — Cajun/Creole

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, fruity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.