Grilled Seafood Boil Foil Packs With Creole Garlic Butter

Let's Cook

1. Step 1.

   Make the Creole Garlic Butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the lemon juice, hot sauce, paprika, Creole seasoning, Old Bay, black pepper, and salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 2–3 minutes, allowing the garlic and spices to infuse the butter. Remove from the heat. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the garlic butter for grilling the calamari and finishing the dish.

2. Step 2.

   While the garlic butter infuses, parboil the potatoes: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the halved potatoes and boil for 6–8 minutes, until they have begun to soften but are not completely tender. A knife should penetrate the outside easily but meet some resistance toward the center. Drain thoroughly and let the potatoes steam-dry for a few minutes.

3. Step 3.

   Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, approximately 16 × 12 inches (40 × 30 cm). Divide the parboiled potatoes, clams, and shrimp evenly among the foil sheets. Season evenly with the Old Bay and Creole seasoning. Spoon the Creole garlic butter generously over each portion, making sure some reaches the potatoes and seafood at the bottom of each packet. Bring the foil together and crimp the edges tightly to create four sealed packets.

4. Step 4.

   Place the packets on the hot grill and close the lid. Grill for approximately 8–10 minutes, or until the shrimp are just cooked through, the potatoes are tender, and the clams have opened. Keep the packets sealed while they cook. The steam and liquid released by the clams combine with the seasoned garlic butter to create the sauce.

5. Step 5.

   While the foil packets are cooking, pat the calamari very dry with paper towels. Toss it with just enough of the reserved Creole garlic butter to lightly coat. Heat a grill basket or perforated grill pan over high heat until very hot. Add the calamari in a single layer and grill for approximately 1–2 minutes, tossing once, just until opaque with lightly charred edges. Remove the calamari from the grill immediately. Calamari becomes tough quickly when left over the heat, so keep this cooking time brief.

6. Step 6.

   Carefully open each foil packet, watching for escaping steam. Discard any clams that remain tightly closed after cooking. Divide the hot grilled calamari among the four packets. Spoon the accumulated garlic butter and shellfish juices from the bottom of each packet over the seafood and potatoes. Drizzle with the remaining reserved Creole garlic butter and finish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.

Tips & variations

Plan n Cook Kitchen

09/28/2026 13:25

Dry the calamari well. Excess surface moisture causes it to steam rather than sear. Patting it thoroughly dry and using a very hot grill basket helps develop those lightly charred edges. Don't overcook the calamari. The calamari needs only a minute or two over high heat. Grill it at the very end so it can go straight onto the finished packets. Choose smaller clams. Smaller clams cook more quickly and are better suited to the relatively short cooking time of a foil packet. Scrub them thoroughly before using. Watch the salt. Clams, Old Bay, Creole seasoning, and their cooking liquid can all contribute salt. Taste the garlic butter before adding additional salt. Make it hotter. Add ¼–½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the Creole garlic butter or increase the hot sauce. Don't waste the packet juices. The liquid released by the clams is an important part of the finished sauce. Stir it together with the melted garlic butter and spoon it liberally over the seafood and potatoes before serving.

0 0