Why did my coconut shrimp burn?

[tkyes]

I made a coconut shrimp recipe that I got off of foodtv.com, I did everything correctly, I measured the temperature of my oil and it was exactly what it was supposed to be.

I dropped a piece of shrimp in and the coconut instantly burned, long before my shrimp ever cooked.

It wasn't the batter - I tried one without the coconut - it was definately the coconut.

I ended up baking them and they were fine, just not as crispy as they could have been. Peanut dipping sauce from Ohana's was a huge hit!

But I have to know why my coconut burned! Anyone know?


Tamie

 

[piratesmate]

Just a shot in the dark here . . . . but did it call for you to shred your own? If it did & you used pre-shredded (i.e. bought that way) maybe it was too thin. I'd think it would cook/burn faster if it's thinner. Also, store bought might be drier than fresh, causing it to burn.

 

[tkyes]

No, it sayed I could use packaged or freshly shredded. It called for sweetened coconut and that's what I used.

I guess it could have dried out a bit, it was up in my cupboard for a little while.

 

[Rebecca12345]

Hi tkyes, did the recipe specify what kind of oil to use?

 

[tkyes]

yep, it said peanut oil or canola oil - I used canola.

 

[SoonerKate]

Sometimes your fryer or the pot you're using can get hotspots or hold the heat unevenly. I like to use a cast-iron dutch oven for frying -- it takes a while for the pot to heat up evenly, but once it does, it stays perfectly.

Which recipe did you use? I've used Alton Brown's before and had to lower the oil temp to about 325 instead of the 350 he recommends. Did you test the oil with bread before you put in your shrimp? Sometimes thermometers can give faulty readings. Usually at that temperature, a cube of bread will brown in about 2-3 minutes.

If the coconut was dried out, that definitely could have been a part of it. Something dry is going to cook a lot faster than something even a little bit moist.

 

[tkyes]

At this point I'm assuming the coconut was too dry.

I used Alton's recipe as well and did try it with the temperature reduced.

I fried one with just the breading, no coconut, and that worked just fine.

I guess some time I'll have to try it again with fresher coconut.

Although everyone loved them baked and it's certainly healthier, so maybe I'll just stick with that.


tamie

 

[jipsy]

I agree I think your coconut dried out. If you are going to store packaged coconut, always make sure you keep it in the fridge to help keep it moist. Or grate fresh next time.