There’s nothing glamorous about gnawing on a mango while juices trail down to the inside of your elbow. And while scraping the flesh out with your teeth while standing in dripping wet swimmers may have been fine for the seven year old me, these days I’m in search of a better way.
For years I thought the hedgehog technique was best (slice off the cheeks, then cross hatch the flesh with a knife and invert so that little squares stick out like cubic spikes). Except you’ve still got to get the flesh off the skin- which means either biting into it, or hacking at it with a knife.
And sometimes instead of nuggety squares from the hedgehog you might be after some more elegant slices. Maybe they’re destined for a fruit salad with white peaches and mint, or perhaps a slaw (I’ve recently been having quite a bit of fun with a slaw of white cabbage, radish, coriander, green chilli and mango alongside maple barbecued meats).
On Christmas day I learned the following from my step sister’s partner. The technique – like him- is looking like a keeper. All you need is a sharp knife and a big metal spoon (the kind that sits in your third drawer and you use to serve a cous cous salad). As for whether you suck the pip at the end, well that choice is entirely up to you.
Step one. Slice the two cheeks off the mango, close to the pip with a sharp knife.
Step two Use the sharp edge of the side of the spoon to scoop down and across the base of the skin- keep going until you reach the other side.
Step three– invert the domed cheek of mango and repeat on the other side.
Step four– cut off the rest of the skin around the pip and use the knife to fillet off the last bits of flesh.
Now that is a good tip! I have never seen this before 🙂
Definitely a keeper.
I'm definitely the girl who cannot resist sucking on the stone. Eons ago I posted a slaw recipe with mango in it that was delicious, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen,I agree it is a lovely way to eat this fruit. Thanks for the tip and enjoy a lovely summer fruit salad for all of us in the midst of winter.
That is a good tip – might have to give it a go on the mango currently sitting in the fridge. Chet loves the hedgehog version – he asks for mango squares and in fact isn't really that keen on it any other way.
if i'm having with ice cream i do criss-crosses before scooping out so it breaks up into little squares 🙂
Mango peel and the flesh very close to the stone contain a chemical called urushiol, the same chemical in poison ivy! Some people are more susceptible to it than others, but it can cause a rash and upset the stomach!
This looks like a great way to share a mango… But I still fancy using a knife to peel off bits of the skins and attacking it with gusto. I love the juice down the arms! X
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