Go gourmet on your next campout with shrimp over fire

When it comes to dining during a Memorial Day campout, thoughts may drift to the standard fare of hot dogs and hamburgers.

Not that there is anything wrong with a well-grilled burger or brat, especially with the proper garnishments on hand. But why settle for the standards when you can go gourmet — with shrimp?

Grilling shrimp is not a new phenomenon. Many people love to cook them on skewers with a variety of vegetables. It can be easy to burn shrimp, especially when using a less-than-reliable heat source such as a charcoal grill or campfire.

On a recent camping trip, our family enjoyed some foil pack shrimp marinated over the fire in fresh parmesan cheese, melted butter and garlic. It was a very easy, quick meal and the taste was exceptional.

To keep things simple, purchase shrimp that is already shelled and deveined. On the center of a sheet of foil, put butter or margarine, a generous layer of parmesan cheese and a few shakes of garlic. Then place your shrimp — we used frozen — on top of the butter/ cheese/ seasoning. Add a little more butter, parmesan and garlic before sealing the ingredients with a second sheet of foil into a foil pack.

Over a well-built campfire the shrimp doesn’t take long at all. Turn the foil packs regularly, being careful not to puncture the foil. After a total of 20 minutes of cooking (with turns every five minutes), rip into your foil pack and enjoy. The shrimp itself is done when it has a white/opaque appearance and the meat itself is tender.

There are countless variations to this process — such as adding a vegetable, such as broccoli, and alternative flavorings, sauces (alfredo?) and seasonings.

The biggest concern while cooking shrimp over a campfire? Having enough on hand to share when your campsite neighbors realize you left the burgers and hot dogs at home.