Cutting a Mango

There's a trick to cutting mango. The key is to have a clear idea of what you want and how to get there, otherwise you'll end up with a pile of and slippery, mangled mess and disappointments. In this, mangoes are a lot like life.

Hayden mango, fist-sized.

The average mango is roughly the size of a fist with an inedible outer skin, juicy meat and a large oblong pit. The temptation is to peel it (easy enough) then start carving away at the yummy flesh until reaching the pit. DON'T DO THAT. Ripe mangoes are juicy. As soon as you get that skin off, juice will start dripping all over your hands, down your wrists, around the cutting board and making everything slippery sloppy as you hack towards the pit. Ripe mango is soft, so gripping the flesh tighter just mushes your precious fruit, aggravating the situation. If you're at all like me, you'd give up near the end and just suck on the pit to get the last bits, with juice now running down your chin as well.

Let me show you a better way...

Slicing from tip to stem... see the flat pit inside?

Stand the mango on the stem so you're looking down at the tip. See how it has an oval shape? Slice straight down along the longer direction, just off center. You'll be able to feel the flat pit as you cut. Keep the blade as close as possible to the pit all the way to the bottom. Make a second cut along the other side of the pit, so that you are left with two near-halves and a narrow disc of mostly pit and skin.

This is the cool part. Cross-hatch the flesh with the tip of the knife, taking care to cut clear down to the skin without cutting through it. Hold the mango half in your hands with your thumbs on the edges and your fingers against the skin. Press on the skin to flip the mango inside out. Check out those pretty cubes! Finally, cut the cubes away from the skin.

Maybe this technique was self-evident, but I didn't know it until I was taught. Now I pass the trick along so that you too can impress your friends and family with your mango cutting prowess. Here are a few ideas for that newly cut mango:

→ Orange mango sorbet
→ Mango bread