How to Open a Mature Coconut
Fresh mature coconuts look intimidating, but they are easy to open. All you need is a kitchen knife! Watch the video above to learn the easiest way to open a coconut at home.
Calories:
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 mature coconut
Instructions
- Pierce the coconut. Locate the three eyes on the coconut and find the soft eye - the soft eye is rounder, lighter, and has a bigger, darker area around it than the two other eyes. Place the coconut face up, so the eyes are facing you. Insert a corkscrew or a skewer into the soft eye and twist it into the coconut.
- Drain the coconut. Once pierced, hold the coconut upside down over a glass or a bowl to drain out the water. You may need to shake the coconut a few times to get every last bit of water out of it. Strain the coconut water through a fine-mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth to remove any small pieces of coconut skin.
- Hit the coconut along its perimeter. Hold the coconut firmly in your non-dominant hand. Use the blunt side of a chef's knife or a cleaver to hit the coconut along the equator (the middle of the coconut). Avoid using the sharp side of a knife! Rotate the coconut as you hit each part of its equator, and be patient - it will take a few hits before a crack appears. You don't have to hit the coconut hard. Just gently hit it as you rotate it until it splits in half.
- Pry out the coconut meat. Place the cracked in half coconut cut side down on a flat surface. Tap it with the blunt side of a chef's knife to loosen the meat. Turn the coconut meat side-up and hold it in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Using a butter knife, gently press the tip into the meat until it touches the inner shell, and cut into the meat. The longer the cut, the more meat you'll likely be able to pry out at once. Push the knife downward, then quickly twist the blade to the outside. A piece of coconut meat should pop right off the shell. Repeat the process until you remove all of the meat.
- Peel the skin. You can peel the thin brown skin off the meat with a vegetable peeler.
- Store. Leftover coconut water keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. For longer-term storage, freeze the coconut water in an ice cube tray for up to 1 month. Leftover coconut meat pieces keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. For longer-term storage, freeze the coconut meat pieces in an airtight container for up to 3 months.