Crawfish Boil Foil Packets (Printable)

Bold flavors of spicy crawfish, corn, and potatoes grilled in foil for easy, flavorful outdoor cooking.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 pound cooked crawfish tails, peeled
02 - 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, optional

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 ears corn, cut into 4 pieces each
04 - 12 baby potatoes, halved
05 - 1 red onion, cut into wedges
06 - 1 lemon, sliced

→ Sausage

07 - 8 ounces andouille or smoked sausage, sliced

→ Seasonings

08 - 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning blend
09 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
13 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional for extra heat

→ Fats and Liquids

14 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Method:

01 - Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, approximately 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - In a large bowl, combine crawfish tails, shrimp if using, corn, potatoes, onion, sausage, and lemon slices.
03 - Drizzle with melted butter and olive oil. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Toss well to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, approximately 16 inches each. Divide the mixture evenly among the sheets, piling ingredients in the center of each.
05 - Fold up the short sides, then the long sides, sealing each packet tightly to prevent leaks.
06 - Place packets seam-side up on the grill. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until potatoes are fork-tender and seafood is heated through.
07 - Carefully open packets while watching for hot steam. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with extra lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in individual packets, so no fighting over who gets the best piece—plus cleanup is literally just throwing away foil.
  • The grill gives you actual char and smoky depth that you can't get from boiling, and somehow the flavors taste even more alive.
  • You can prep these in the morning, throw them on the fire when guests arrive, and have restaurant-quality food on plates in half an hour.
02 -
  • If your potatoes aren't forking easily after the flip, you can give them a few extra minutes—better slightly overdone than crunchy in the middle.
  • Heavy-duty foil is absolutely worth the couple of extra cents because regular foil will tear and your carefully seasoned butter will drip onto the grill grates, which is disappointing.
  • Halving the potatoes versus leaving them whole literally cuts your cooking time in half, which I discovered when I got impatient one time and haven't looked back.
03 -
  • Parboil your potatoes for five minutes before assembling if you're short on time or if your grill is running cooler than ideal—it takes stress out of the equation and guarantees they'll be perfect.
  • If crawfish aren't available or your budget won't allow it, swap in peeled shrimp, crab legs, or even chunks of firm white fish and the whole thing still tastes like summer.
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