Hannaford had mangoes on sale for 99¢ each today, so I bought one. My rationale was that I need to eat more fruit. But now I have questions.
- How do I know when it’s ripe?
- If it’s not ripe, how do I ripen it?
- How do I eat it?
- Any suggestions for how to use it?
I suppose I *could*just Google it, but what’s the fun in that?
Can you help me?
Life at Goal 
I love mangoes but not that kind. If they have them, (they’re only available certain times of the year) get the yellow or Champagne mangoes. They’re less fibrous and they have a sour sweet taste that’s less cloying than regular mangoes.
That being said, I’ll eat any mango. They’ll ripen in your fruit bowl and they’re ripe when they’re a little soft to the touch. Also, they’ll start smelling fragrant.
My favorite way to eat them is cut into strips and plain but some people like them sprinkled with lime and a little cayenne pepper. They would make a nice topping for plain greek yogurt and of course, smoothies.
I love the thought of lime + cayenne. I will definitely try that. And I always have plain yogurt on hand…smoothie time.
Thanks!
Jenn is spot on re: ripening. Yours may need a few days in the fruit bowl. Pine Island Florida is the Mango capital of the US. The trees were in bloom when we left there in late March. The picking season is in July when PI stages a Mango Festival, which tells me yours are probably from someplace more tropical. I understand that it is important to peel mangoes. There is a large inedible pit in the center We have enjoyed Mangoes as fresh, sliced fruit (it has a slippery texture). Also you could try Mango Chutney, Mango Jam, Mango Salsa, etc. It is great as an accompaniment for fish or chicken. Have mango fun!
I second the suggestion of mango salsa – yum! Or, if you’re looking for something more desserty-y, my favorite at Thai restaurants is mango w/ sticky rice, so you could try making that. No idea how, but I’m guessing Mr. Google could tell you.
Mr. Google indeed had the answer. Though sticky rice seems like a lot of trouble…
Mangoes our one of our favorite fruits. I love their dense and slippery texture. I love taking the pit, and sucking on it over the sink to get every last little bit of fruit. For the two halves, I generally prefer to skin them with a sharp knife and then cut the flesh into strips or a broad dice. The whole scoring and inverting thing looks beautiful and is a lot of fun, but always seems to take longer and result in a more mangled mango.
One should be warned that you should not attempt to tackle the pit without an adequate supply of dental floss. Those mango pits are hairy monsters.
Enjoy.