By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Clean & Delicious.
Mangoes are tricky. The pit runs flat through the middle, the skin slips around in your hand, and one bad slice leaves half the fruit on the cutting board.
Dani Spies from Clean & Delicious uses the cheek method, which works around the pit instead of fighting through it. Score the flesh, flip the cheek inside-out, and pop the cubes off. If you need something finer for salsa, peel the mango first and cross-cut into dice.
You'll need a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a vegetable peeler if you're going for the salsa version.
Lay the mango on its side and slice a thin piece off the pointy end (opposite the stem). You're not after much, just enough to give the mango a flat base.
Stand it up on the cutting board and check that it doesn't wobble. A mango that won't tip is a mango you won't drop a knife into.
Tip
Save that little trim. There's enough flesh in there for a chef's snack while you work.
Picture the mango from above. The pit is a flat oblong running top to bottom, with two wide cheeks on either side and two thin sides. Most of the flesh lives on the cheeks.
Hold the mango steady and lay your knife about a quarter inch off-center on top. Cut straight down, parallel to the pit. If your knife hits something hard partway down, you've reached the pit. Back up, shift over a fraction, and start again. Repeat on the other side.
Tip
Don't force a stuck knife through the pit. You'll dull the blade and risk a slip.
Even after the cheeks come off, good mango is still clinging to both thin sides of the pit. Stand the pit up and run your knife top-to-bottom along each thin edge, pressing the blade against the side of the pit so it acts as your guide.
You'll get two long strips of flesh. Set those aside for the next step.
Place one cheek skin-side down. Hold the tip of the knife and cut through the flesh in straight vertical lines, stopping right before the blade goes through the skin.
Rotate the cheek 90 degrees and do the same in the opposite direction. You should see a tic-tac-toe grid of cubes still attached to the green skin underneath. Repeat on the second cheek.
Tip
The skin is what holds everything together while you score. Cut through it and the cubes fall apart before you can flip the cheek.
Pick up the scored cheek and push the skin up from below with your thumbs. The cheek pops inside-out and the cubes splay outward like a hedgehog.
From here you can pull the cubes off with your fingers, scoop them with a spoon, or slide a knife between the cube and skin to release a whole row at once. This is the iconic mango photo for a reason.
Pick up one of the long strips you trimmed off the pit and lay it skin-side down. Slide the tip of your knife between the flesh and the skin, working slowly so you don't waste meat.
You'll end up with a couple of long mango pieces ready to chop, dice, or eat as-is.
The grid method is great for snacking. For a finer salsa or salad dice, skip the grid and peel the mango first.
Use a vegetable peeler the same way you'd peel a carrot. Trim a flat base, then slice the cheeks off as before. Cut each cheek into long boards, stack them, slice one direction, rotate the boards 90 degrees, and slice the other direction. Smaller cuts give you smaller dice.
Tip
Ripe mangoes are slippery once peeled. A paper towel under your guide hand gives you grip without changing the technique.
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