March 29, 2012

How To Cut Up a Mango


Posted by Ethne~

For those of you in warmer climates, this is probably well-known fact, but to us Northerners, cutting tropical fruit is not common knowledge.  Sure, we can do it, but not like experts.  More like a fruit massacre.  You oughta see me picking the seeds out of a pomegranite.  There is likely one swear word attached to each seed which = approximately 100 effenheimers.

My bff, DD’s husband, FD, is Mexican-American and man, can he make the most fabulous mango-watermelon smoothie.  I tried to re-make his smoothie one time myself and it was crap.  FD can also cut up a pineapple like nobody’s business.  And tamales…I thank the Good Lord for my taste buds.

At DD's house for my baby shower; I was cute
pregnant at 22 weeks...DD is wearing red

FD totally knows how to cut up a mango.  I’ve seen his hands in action.  For this demonstration, Thrifty Nana does the hand-modeling.

Thrifty Nana (my mom)

First, wash the mango.  Duh.  Who knows where it’s traveled from (obviously outside of MN for me) and how many people have handled it?

These mangoes are good and ripe

Second, find the black ‘eye’ – where the mango attached to the plant – and point it so that the ‘eye’ is facing you.

Ahoy Matey!

Third, hold the mango up on its edge (so it’s not laying on its side), still with the ‘eye’ facing you, and cut the mango lengthwise first on the left side of the ‘eye’ and then on the right side of the ‘eye’ (use your large knife for this).  This positioning will cut around the giant pit that’s in the middle, lengthwise, of the fruit.


Fourth, slice off all the rest of the fruit from the pit.  There isn’t any science to this.  I usually just shave as closely around the pit as I can.


Fifth, on the smaller pieces, cut the skin off with a smaller paring knife.  Then take your two larger medallions and lay them fruit-side up.  Being careful not to cut through the skin of the mango, make even slices from top to bottom.


Now turn the mango and make perpendicular slices from side to side – like you’re making a checkerboard. 

Try this criss-cross technique with an avocado before
scooping it out - makes easy cubes for salsa/guac

NOTE: I find that if I hold the mango in my hand and cut really carefully, it helps to keep me from cutting through the mango skin because I can feel the blade of the knife tip running past my skin – of course I am extremely careful.  Complete disclaimer here, Friends.

Sixth, turn the large medallions inside out, so the checkerboard pieces are sticking out.  Then just easily run the knife along the base of each cube and it’ll fall right off.



How easy is that?  And there is nothing like a mango.  To me, it’s like a silky-sugary-piney-peach flavor, and it’s divine.  Perhaps I can get FD to divulge his watermelon-mango smoothie on the blog.  It might help if you all put peer pressure on him by writing ‘MANGO PLEASE FD!’ in the comment section below.


1 comment:

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