Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower “Rice” Foil Packs

Published July 20, 2017. Updated October 28, 2018

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Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs are a flavorful easy dinner you can’t pass by! Shrimp and veggies are boasting of bright fresh Mexican flavors and it’s a recipe that’s set to impress everyone!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Packs

This is officially my first time making cauliflower rice and I’m now totally a believer!

These are packed with delicious flavor and also prove that there are healthy, tasty alternatives to plain white rice.

I can’t get enough of the foil packs lately. They are the perfect thing to make during the summer and I love that they are ready to serve in individual portions. And as always – that easy clean up. Who doesn’t love that??

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs

I recently made these Shrimp and Asparagus Foil Packs with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce and I loved them so much I decided we needed another shrimp foil packet recipe so here we are.

And now I can’t choose which I like better so I guess I’ll just have to add them both to the dinner rotation!

I’m totally smitten with all the fresh Mexican flavors in this one (Mexican food is the best!) and I also love how it’s hearty and filling with the triple veggies, black beans and shrimp.

This is my kind of dinner and I can’t wait to make these again!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs

How to Make Cilantro Lime Shrimp Packs

  • Preheat a gas grill over moderately high heat.
  • Prep cauliflower rice.
  • Toss shrimp, black beans, corn, green chilies, green onions, garlic, olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin.
  • Cut sheets of foil.
  • Divide shrimp mixture evenly among foil and wrap.
  • Grill packets until shrimp has cooked through, about 9 – 11 minutes.
  • Carefully open each packet and toss in cilantro. Serve warm with avocado slices.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs

What if I Don’t Own a Food Processor?

If you don’t have a food processor, no worries.

  • Simply grate the cauliflower instead of pulsing it in a food processor (leave it whole if grating, don’t cut individual florets) then chop it up a little more with a knife so it’s a finer texture.
  • Or use store-bought frozen, thawed cauliflower rice.

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Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Foil Packs
5 from 9 votes

Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower "Rice" Foil Packs

These packs are a flavorful easy dinner you can't pass by! Shrimp and veggies are boasting of bright fresh Mexican flavors and it's a recipe that's set to impress everyone!
Servings: 4
Prep20 minutes
Cook10 minutes
Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat a gas grill over moderately high heat to about 450 - 475 degrees. 
  • Cut cauliflower florets from head, leaving behind as much stem as possible. 
  • Working in 2 or 3 batches, pulse florets in a food processor until cauliflower is finely chopped (it should look similar to couscous). Measure out 4 cups and transfer to a large bowl. 
  • Add shrimp to bowl along with black beans, corn, green chilies, green onions, garlic, olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper (about 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper) then toss gently to evenly coat.
  • Cut 4 sheets of 15 by 12-inch heavy duty aluminum foil. Lay sheets individually on a flat surface. 
  • Divide shrimp mixture evenly among foil sheets, placing each mound in the center of the foil. 
  • Bring sides of foil inward then fold together twice and to seal, then fold ends up (and work to leave a little extra space inside for heat to circulate so everything cooks evenly, I like to pull up on the top crimp).
  • Grill packets until shrimp has cooked through (it should appear pink in color), about 9 - 11 minutes. 
  • Carefully open each packet and toss in cilantro. Serve warm with avocado slices.
  • Recipe source: Easy Cooking Zone

Notes

*I recommend draining the green chilies through a fine mesh strainer. If you just try to open the can and drain you won't get much of the liquid out. Discard liquid.
Nutrition Facts
Cilantro Lime Shrimp and Cauliflower "Rice" Foil Packs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 503 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 357mg119%
Sodium 328mg14%
Potassium 1305mg37%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 16g67%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 405IU8%
Vitamin C 108.7mg132%
Calcium 301mg30%
Iron 7.1mg39%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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39 Comments

  • Jon B

    I was not sure what to expect out of this, it had all the ingredients for a delicious meal but I don’t normally do foil packs. Well, it turned out amazing! So delicious. Both adults and kids loved it. So refreshing and tasty. Made exactly as is with two exceptions. First, I made the marinade an hour ahead of time to let flavors develop. Second. I had some extra oregano I wanted to get rid of so I put it in. Maybe was a half to full tsp. I doubt the oregeno did anything to the flavor. Anyways, make this meal.

  • Ken

    This is only the second recipe that I tried using cauliflower rice. It was very good and I will be making it again. It was just my wife and me eating so I reduced the amounts.

    I did not make this exactly “as is” but for the most part I did. Instead of mixing the shrimp in with the cauliflower rice mixture, I marinated them how I do when I make shrimp tacos. After I marinated them I placed them on top of the rice mixture in the foil packet.

    My marinade for shrimp or fish when I used them for tacos is a bit of EVOO, minced garlic, ground coriander, smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I am not heavy-handed with the spices – just enough to give them a good flavor. At the end, just before I took the shrimp out of the marinade, I stirred in a bit of freshly squeezed lime juice. I did everything else mostly as is with the cauliflower rice. I did not have any black beans in a can and did not feel like making them in the InstaPot. I did have some ElEbro Cuban black beans that were leftover from another recipe so I used those and put them in a colander to get as much of the liquid and seasoning off of them without rinsing them. The other change was at the end once I plated everything, I diced up some tomatoes from our garden and threw them on top. I did this on the grill but it could easily be made in the oven for anyone that doesn’t have a grill.

    • Deb

      The really cool thing that I like about black beans is that they do not give a person gas like the rest of the beans in the world do. But that can be fixed if u pour a little lemon, lime, or vinegar in the dish the beans are in. I lived in Dominican Republic and learned to cook beans and rice there. They use Pinto beans and they told me to use those things but our communication was not good enough to communicate that until we all learned better Spanglish and “sign language/gestures” 😀

  • Mim

    This recipe was truly delicious! I didn’t use olive oil and I increased the lime juice to the juice of one medium sized lime. My husband and our company really loved it. So nice because it was quick, very flavorful, and I could do it on the grill outside when the temperature was in the 90’s. I added a red pepper and served sweet potato as a side. All I can say is yum! It’s going in my favorites list. Thank you!

  • Evelyn Almonte

    Is there a possibility of making this on a skillet instead of a grill?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      You could also bake them in the oven, or with some modifying it could be made in a skillet.

  • Deb RH

    This was quite bland and unimpressive. My family did not care for it at all. We could not taste the cumin at all. It was palatable only after adding hot sauce or salsa.
    A dud!

    • Chris

      A good cook cook can tell when a recipe is not spicy. Why didn’t you simply modify it to your taste instead of being a rude jerk?

      This sounds so good! I will be cooking it in a skillet without the cauliflower, which I don’t care for.