How to Cut a Mango (without the slippery mess!)

On the 4th of July, our dear friends Amy and Chris hosted a fabulous dinner prior to the fireworks display.  One of the items I was in charge of bringing was a fruit bowl.  While preparing all the delicious fruit, I was reminded of when cutting up a mango was quite the chore for me.  Holding onto the blasted thing after the first slice was a challenge, resulting in mango juice everywhere and pulverized-looking chunks of fruit.  It was actually just a few months ago that I learned how to efficiently cut a mango.

My friend, Marla, and I decided to take a cooking class offered at a nearby Whole Foods.  One of the dishes was an avocado mango salsa and the instructor took time to show us exactly how she cuts the mango.  My world has been forever changed!

1.  Mangos have a large, oblong seed.  Your first two slices will be along the two flat sides of the seed, as shown.  You will be left with a narrow strip along both remaining edges of the seed.  Carefully slice those off as well.

2.  (This is the best part).  Before discarding the seed, go ahead and bite off any remaining mango you can find . . . making a mess, of course.

3.  Okay, back to business.  Take each of the bigger pieces, and very carefully slice through the flesh of the mango without going through the skin.  Slice into a grid pattern into the desired size, as shown below.

4.  Apply gentle pressure to the skin side of the mango, to “pop” the cubes.  Slide a knife between the skin and flesh of the mango to free the cubes.

Boy, I wish I had known how to do this earlier!  I would not have avoided using mango all this time.

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