It’s been a few years since I first made these Cilantro-Garlic-Lime Seafood Packets (or “The BOMB” Packets, as we like to call ’em around here), and they are still one of my favorites. Hence the fact that we call them “the bomb”. But more on that in a second.
The Cilantro-Garlic-Lime Seafood Packets are loaded up with shrimp, clams, scallops, chorizo sausage, corn, and cherry tomatoes, which steam in their own juices in these individual-sized serving packets. Fresh cilantro, lime juice and zest, garlic, and a bit of butter (and maybe even a few slices of jalapeno, if you like some extra heat) add extra flavor to the juices, which make a great dip for crusty bread or sauce for rice or pasta!
I affectionately call them “The Bomb” Seafood Packets, because they disappeared at my house in seconds, but I made sure to save a packet for my dad, who is a huge shrimp and clam-lover. I gave him the leftover packet the next day, and 2 hours later, got the following text:
“Those packets were the bomb.”
And then,
“Seriously, the bomb!”
Then,
“THEY WERE THE BOMB!!!!!!!!”
So I’m pretty sure he liked them just as much as I did.
In fact, he still makes them and talks about them to this day. So let’s bump that up to “I’m positive he liked them just as much as I did.”
All you need to do for these easy packets is divide all of your ingredients up into individual portions, place them each on their own foil sheets, zest some lime on top using your microplane, seal your foil into packets, and grill or bake until the clams open and everything is ready to eat.
Make these for your next get-together and watch everyone go wild for them!
Cilantro-Garlic-Lime Seafood Packets
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 20 littleneck clams
- 30 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 large sea scallops
- 2 ears fresh sweet corn, husks removed, cleaned, cut into fourths
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno, sliced and seeds removed (optional)
- 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more to serve
- 1 lime, juiced and zested, plus wedges to serve
- Crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on high or preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut 4 18×12″ sheets of heavy-duty foil.
- Divide the clams, shrimp, scallops, corn, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, and chorizo among the sheets of foil, piling onto the center of the foil. Sprinkle each seafood pile with garlic, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Top each with 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Using a microplane, zest a bit of lime over each packet.
- To seal the packets, bring up the two sides until the edges meet, centered over the seafood. Roll or fold the foil down together to seal, leaving a bit of space for the heat and steam to collect and circulate. Then roll up the remaining sides. Your packets should be completely sealed.
- Reduce the grill heat to medium and place the packets on the grill. Grill, covered, for 20 minutes, or until your clams have opened, shrimp is pink, scallops are white, and chorizo is cooked through. If using the oven, cook in the oven for the same duration. Turn once halfway through.
- Serve with extra cilantro, lime wedges, and bread for dipping.
Notes
* I cooked my shrimp with the shells on and peeled them as I ate, but if that freaks you out, just peel the shrimp before cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
I love seafood and the ease of these is perfect for entertaining! Love it!
This looks fantastic! I wanted to make this with [add] King Crab Legs. Do you think the Crab Legs will be too done after 20min of cooking?
It typically takes about 12-15 minutes for me to cook king crab legs on the grill when wrapped in foil. Given that there are a lot of other ingredients in the packets, I think they should be fine for 20 if you place them higher in the pack (and therefore further from resting on top of the grates). I’ve never done it myself, though, so I’d recommend testing with one packet first and/or checking at the 15 minute mark to make sure they’re not going to be overcooked. Let me know how it goes if you do go that route!
This idea is absolutely fantastic – I love the way you’ve served it!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
My husband threw these packets on the BBQ tonight and they were delicious!!!!! Loved the combination of flavors and how well the chorizo complimented the seafood!
Happy to hear that you enjoyed them, Kim! =) I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!
These look good! Can you make these the night before???
You can cook them ahead of time, refrigerate, and reheat on the grill or in the oven if you’d like!
This is so yummy and simple to make. I have a weakness for seafood. This dish is irresistible!!
These look good! Thank you.
Love baking with little foil packets and especially with salmon. Copper River Salmon goes pretty quick as it’s season is gone before you can blink, but Costco usually carries it. This looks sensational. Thanks!
Made this last night. Great flavor. My only issue is that most of the clams didn’t open. My thought was possibly cooking the clams for ten minutes and then adding the additional ingredients. This would bring the total cook time to 30 minutes. Does this make sense or is this a clam issue?
Wow!!! This is amazing! We made it while camping last week. It was the best campfire food we have ever made! Thank you so much! We added asparagus and it was so good 🙂
Would it work to bake these in the oven? If so, at what temperature and for how long?
Thank you for the recipe!