How to Cut and Eat Fresh Mango

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Mangos are eaten in a number of different ways.

Ripe mangoes are firm with a tight, mottled skin of green, yellow and reddish orange. The flesh is a rich yellow-gold with a sweet flavor and pulpy texture. The mango seed is large, flat and oval and sits in the middle of the fruit, extending almost to the skin. Mangoes ripen off the stem and are usually shipped to market while still green. Green mangoes ripen in three to five days when stored at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut mangoes, remove the seed and enjoy raw. Cut mango slices and chunks and freeze for later use in smoothies or ice cream. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Vegetable brush
Towel
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Bowl
Spoon

Instructions

- 1
  
  Wash the mango thoroughly under running water while scrubbing it with a vegetable brush. Dry it with a towel.
- 2
  
  Place the mango upright on the cutting board sitting on one end. This position allows the knife to cut straight down through the slippery mango while removing the seed, minimizing the possibility of a cut hand.
- 3
  
  Hold the mango securely in one hand and cut it in half, top to bottom, with a sharp knife. When cutting, keep the knife blade flat against the flat side of the seed. Set aside the seedless half of the mango.
- 4
  
  Grip the seeded half of the mango by the skin while it is still sitting on its edge. Cut under the seed to separate it from the flesh of the mango. This position allows the knife to cut downward through the mango to avoid cut hands.
- 5
  
  Hold half of the mango, skin side down, cupped in your hand or sitting in a bowl and eat the sweet flesh from the skin with a spoon. The mango skin is also eaten by many people.

Tips & Warnings

Mangoes picked early are ripened by placing them in a loosely closed paper bag until ready to eat.
Place mangoes in a paper bag for storage up to five days in the refrigerator.
Select ripe fruit of uniform size for recipes or immediate consumption.
Select green fruit to ripen at home for later use.
Some people have an allergy to the oils on the skin of the mango.
Wrinkled skin on a mango indicates an overly ripe fruit.