The people have spoken. Last week, in my weekly addition to the How-To section, I demonstrated How to: Cut an Avocado. The comments were positive (thank you), but there seemed to be a quiet chant, gradually increasing in volume, from the readers. "Mango...MANGO...MANGO". As I said, the people were speaking, loud and clear. In an attempt to avoid a mob scene, I went to the store the next day to buy some mangoes.
And who could blame them?! They are fantastic in recipes such a grilled mahi mahi (with mango salsa), mango salsa with shrimp and a fresh mango fruit salad.
I used to have a heck of a time cutting mangoes. That darn flat pit baffled me and I often found myself staring at a pile of mangled mango slices, and I would then spend a frustratingly long time cutting the skin off of the fruit. That is, until I learned the hedgehog method.
How to do it:
Mangoes have flat-ish, oblong pits. If you look at the left-hand picture below, try to picture how the pit would lie in the fruit. Turn the mango the other way (center). You will be slicing off the left and right sides of the mango.
Sit the mango on its stem, hold firmly, and slice the left and right sides of the fruit away from the pit. These are known as the cheeks of the mango. Awww.
Working with one cheek at a time, make vertical cuts across the fruit (left), taking care to cut to the skin, but not through it. Repeat the cuts in the other direction (right).
This is the fun part. Place your thumbs on the outside of the fruit and push it inside out. It should look like a little hedgehog. Who knew the mango was such an adorable fruit?
With a paring knife, carefully cut between the skin and the fruit to cut off the cubes. Each mango yields approximately one cup of mango pieces.
Easier than you thought, right?
Of course, if you have a six-year old in the house that can't get enough of fresh fruit and veggies, hand those mango peels over to him to make sure none of that juice is wasted.
Recipe using mango:
Cookin' Canuck's Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango, Red Pepper & Lime Salsa
Cookin' Canuck's Mango & Lime Sorbet
Rasa Malaysia's Mango Lassi
Kalyn's Kitchen's Mango Salad with Black Beans, Avocado & Chili-Lime Vinaigrette
Smitten Kitchen's Mango Slaw with Cashews & Mint
Heidi @foodiecrush
I need to follow your lead on this one, mine never come out right. Great tut.
bridget
I actually use my potato peeler to remove the outer skin and then proceeded to cut the sides away from the pit. It worked pretty well.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Bridget, a peeler definitely work, too. For myself, I find that is a little more difficult because the mango is so slippery once the peel is removed and I'm certain it's going to slip as I'm trying to slice it.
Kaitlyn
Haha, maybe I should have looked at this BEFORE cutting the mango. I ended up with, just like you said, a pile of mangled mango pieces to feed to my 2-year old cousin. I don't think he minded very much though!
Thanks for the great tutorial, I'll have remember this for next time
Lynne@ 365 Days of Baking
Dara,
GREAT step by step instructions. Thank you! I'm always having such a hard time cutting those buggers up.
My 17 year old daughter cut one the other day using a different method and she did it perfectly. I have NO idea where she learned it - obviously wasn't from me!
Kay N.
I love a good ripe sweet mango. However, too many times when I buy them in the grocery store they are dark inside. Unfortunately I don't live where they grow. If they are good and ripe they don't need any sugar and have the best flavor!!
Kimberly Anderson
This post has changed my life!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Shelby
my favorite part is eating the mango! lol. This is how I cut it too - love mangos!
SMITH BITES
OMG Dara - that last photo just kills me - LOVE IT!!!
Pretty. Good. Food.
Ugh, I feel like I have issues when it comes to cutting a mango correctly. It never seems to come out properly. I am giving your instructions a try. Thanks for including such great photos for those of us who are... mangochallenged 😉