It’s the first week of Fall. It has been slightly cooler in the morning. I can feel it in the mornings when I run. Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons, from the changing leaves to the cooler temps, to all the flavors in baking (pumpkin, maple, apple, cardamom). Even though the leaves don’t change here in Miami, I love the concept of seasons changing.
How cool is it that the last couple of days the day and night hours were in perfect balance? How often does that happen and what does that mean to you? For me I took a moment just to reflect and see what could become more balanced in my life. Slowing down and pausing, taking a moment to breathe, and simply embracing the change. It doesn’t get any more gorgeous than that shot of Miami at the golden hour. Does it?
So what do Fall and shrimp packets have to do with each other? I’ll get to the shrimp packets in a minute. They have nothing to do with each other but everything to do with each other. Just got back from a girls weekend trip to NY. To say that we laughed is an understatement. One of our friends moved to NY about a year ago and between all of our schedules we finally made it for a visit. Man how glad I am to have gone. It’s great to connect with people and make time even when you think there isn’t time.
The joke between us is that I’m a little out there with my cooking. I do try to make most things homemade and definitely am always looking for the next thing I’m going to bake. But as I’ve said on the blog before, my journey is not your journey. My ultimate goal is for people to start cooking more and see that cooking doesn’t have to be difficult.
Rachel has been starting to cook more and has impressed me with some of the pictures she sends me. Sam on the other hand just loves to eat and doesn’t want to cook. However, her husband does the cooking and that’s where the shrimp packets come into the story.
Who doesn’t want to feel like they can cook a healthy meal, quickly? Yet who has the time to make it balanced? Enter my shrimp packets. They’re simple, easy, AND delish. Seafood in general doesn’t take that long to cook. Cooking in parchment paper essentially steams the seafood, shrimp in this case, however, any white fish works as well. The best part is the parchment paper makes for an easy clean-up!
A little meal prep over the weekend and your “during the week and rushed self” will thank your “meal prep weekend self”. An hour or two on the weekend really helps during the week to not make dinner time a dreaded time. Make the sauce on the weekend so it’s to ready to make this meal. If you’re cooking for a family of 4, the sauce is enough for 4 packets. Double it to have for another time if that’s helpful. Normally, I’ll eat this twice during the first week and then twice during the 2nd week. Rotating my dishes so I don’t feel that I’m eating the same thing over and over. However, if twice in a week is too much for your family, again, this does make a quick easy meal at least for one evening.
Another item I always meal prep on the weekends are my grains. I tend to rotate brown rice, quinoa, barley, and farro. Make your grains on the weekend as they do really warm up well. If I estimated wrong and end up having extra rice, I’ll either freeze it or use it for a rice type bowl meal and/or turn it into a veggie burger. Not here to say you have to meal prep your grain for the week, but in all honesty brown rice can take up to 40 minutes to cook and during the week nobody has time for that!
The last item in this dish is a quick sauté of a vegetable. Spinach is typically my go-to for this dish, but in all honesty, I can steam a veggie quickly and/or roast a veggie (to have for lunch the next week sometimes as well). It really all depends on my mood and what’s in my fridge aiming to use up as much produce as I can. And with my new fridge my vegetables have been lasting longer (and not going bad) in my crisper bins. Super impressed!
There you have it: a quick weeknight meal that comes together in literally minutes. The time it takes to pre-heat the oven to 20 minutes of cooking in parchment. Shrimp packets, a dish so simple even Sam could make it! Love you Sam!
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Shrimp Packets
Cooking in parchment paper makes for an easy clean-up. This shrimp steams from anchovy-lemon-tomato sauce and is divine served over brown rice and sautéed spinach. And you won’t even notice the taste of anchovies. Promise.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 anchovies, rinsed and minced (you can leave these out as I have done before and it tastes equally as good. Just don’t be afraid to add them if you think it will give a fish flavor…’cuz it doesn’t!)
- About 3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- About 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 Teaspoon paprika
- 1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact (the sauce will make ~4 packets, I take out ~6 -8 shrimp for myself to have for one packet.)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 3–4 scallions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk the olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, basil, parsley, and paprika. Add the shrimp, tomatoes, and scallions; toss.
- Whisk– If I’m prepping the sauce for the week (which I do) simply whisk all together the ingredients for the sauce and refrigerate, not adding the shrimp, tomatoes, and scallions at the time, but simply drizzle on top when you make your packet. If you are making this for your family of 4, make the sauce ahead and have ready to go for a quick week-night meal.
- Tear off four 16-inch sheets of parchment paper. using a double layer of parchment for each packet: Arrange about one-quarter of the shrimp mixture on a double layer, using a slotted spoon. Seal as directed. Repeat to make 3 more packets; divide between 2 baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes. Open, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
*As I said, I make this sauce for the week and will have this dish 1-2 nights in the week. And then the following week I will have it again. I space it out so it doesn’t feel like I’m having the same dish.
*I always meal prep a grain for the week (or two). I rotate and have quinoa, farro, brown rice, and/or barley. I make enough to have for the week and/or freeze the extra. This is kind of my rotation. Yes, there are times when I’ll have brown rice two weeks in a row, but typically I’ll rotate the grain to have variety. I’ve had this dish with brown rice, barley, and farro.
*I already said it in the directions, but if you think you won’t like anchovies, you don’t have to add them in. I’ve left them out before (by accident) and it tastes delicious. But I do challenge you to add them in. You won’t even detect a fishy taste…and I never add salt since they’re so salty.
*Shrimp for protein, grain for my carbohydrate and 9 times out of 10 I’m sautéing some spinach for my vegetable. Although I’ve been known to have this dish with steamed broccoli and/or roasted asparagus. You do you! Just make sure to include a vegetable.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
3 thoughts on “Shrimp Packets”
I’ve been buying frozen brown rice to have on hand. This makes for a quick and easy throw together dinner!
This looks delicious. I don’t see a cook time nor do I see more information or pictures on how to seal the packet. I’d love to make this. Thank you!
Thanks for you comment and sorry about that! Cook time is for 20 minutes. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes, so that when you open the steam doesn’t burn you! I need to update this post with a few process shots (so thanks for the comment!) and show how to fold the parchment. In the meantime, this link shows you the step-by-step! https://www.reynoldsbrands.com/tips-and-how-tos/how-make-parchment-packet#:~:text=Gather%20sides%20of%20parchment%2C%20keeping,the%20sides%20of%20the%20packet.
Thanks for stopping by!