How to cut a mango ~ mangoes are one of the most luxuriously delicious fruits, but if you’ve never dealt with one, they can be perplexing. I’ll show you how to cut it easily into perfect little chunks so you can enjoy it as is, or in a recipe.
Mangoes are delicious, plentiful all year round, and cheap. But none of that matters unless you know how use them. Mangoes are juicy, and if you try to attack them with your vegetable peeler you’ll end up with a slippery slimy mess, and probably a skinned knuckle. And if that weren’t bad enough, they’ve got an annoying oblong pit inside that is difficult to avoid when cutting.
But here’s the secret ~ if you slice off the two sides of the mango, along either side of the pit, and then score the flesh with a sharp knife, cutting down to, but not through, the peel, you can then flip the whole thing inside out and voila, you have perfectly cut little squares.
Now you’re ready to use the fruit as is, or in so many different types of recipes. You can use it to make MANGO SALSA, which can be used with my SLOW COOKED SANGRIA CARNITAS.
But mangoes aren’t only for Mexican food. The juicy golden chunks are an important ingredient in my RAINBOW POKE BOWLS.
And they’re essential to making my SPICY MANGO PERSIMMON CHUTNEY.
Don’t forget to pin this quick tutorial on how to cut a mango!
12 Comments
Anonymous
August 3, 2012 at 11:49 pmI cut mango’s like an apple, in wedges down to the pit. Then I set each wedge upright (skin side down) on a board and filet the skin off with a thin sharp knife. I usually get all the skin off at once and rarely have a problem cutting them this way – only if they’re really “stringy”.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
July 31, 2012 at 12:50 amyour mango cutting is perfect! it’s one of those fruits no matter how many times I slice them, I never quite nail it. The peeler is a slippery mess OR I run into the pit with my knife and feel like I waste so much precious flesh!
Tricia
July 30, 2012 at 3:37 pmI love using this method to cut mango but mine never looks this perfect! You must have a gift to pick perfectly ripe fruit because this looks perfectly ripe!
Cro Magnon
July 30, 2012 at 8:54 amThat looks DEE…LISH…OUS. Mango must be one of the best fruits in the world.
Kim
July 29, 2012 at 11:58 pmIt takes a little practice but it is so much easier than trying to peel them.
Ellen B Cookery
July 29, 2012 at 9:12 pmThanks for the lesson. I’ve never cut a mango like this. It’s so pretty!
Sue/the view from great island
July 29, 2012 at 9:28 pmIt’s worth it just for the fun of flipping the thing inside out and watching all the little cubes of mango pop up!
Dom at Belleau Kitchen
July 29, 2012 at 8:12 pmthey really are the trickiest fruit and I have tried this method a few times and it’s still fiddly!… but WELL worth it!
Sue/the view from great island
July 29, 2012 at 9:27 pmThe main use of this method is you can avoid the peeling headache. I still have to slice off odd bits from around the pit to get all the good mango off. I agree, though, well worth it!
Mary
July 29, 2012 at 10:14 pmI love this method and once again we are thinking along the same lines! I’m making mango salsa tonight!!
Cathy at Wives with Knives
July 29, 2012 at 6:32 pmWhat a great tip for cutting a mango. Sometimes they can be impossible to cut nicely. Think I’m going to run by the local taqueria and get some fresh tortillas and make this salsa. OMG it looks good.