I was riding in a taxi on the west coast of Puerto Rico last month and noticed lots of yellow balls along the side of the road. According to our taxi driver, it was mango season in Puerto Rico. I asked him if the trees above the road were mango trees and he laughed and said, “Yes, the mangos fall out of the mango trees.” I asked if you could eat them right off the street and he laughed again, and said, “Yes, but you have to peel them.” My husband chuckled from the back seat of the taxi. He’s used to my ridiculous questions.
The next morning, we found a giant mango tree on the beach near which we were staying and one in the backyard of our bed and breakfast. We were in mango heaven. We picked up the ripe ones, peeled them, and ate them down to the pit in the center. When you look for a ripe mango (either on the beach or at the grocery store), gently squeeze the fruit. If it’s slightly soft, the mango is ripe. Don’t judge the ripeness of the mango by the color; the color indicates the variety, the growing region, and placement on the tree.
Besides eating them right off the beach, I wanted to make one of my favorite recipes, mango salsa. I selected five perfectly ripe mangos, then peeled off the skin. I tried to cut off the mango’s flesh but could not because I could not cut through it. It was so fibrous and pulpy, it just squished against the knife. I tried to cut through another one from my bunch, then another one. I ran across the same problem. I could not figure out why I couldn’t cut up the Puerto Rican mangos for my salsa. I looked online for suggestions to my problem and learned that each variety of mango has a different level of pulp, making it easier or harder to slice.
According to the National Mango Board (NationalMangoBoard.com), the Francine variety (which is what I found in Puerto Rico) is very fibrous. In order to make my salsa, I needed to search for a different variety (like the Kent or Atulfo). Fortunately, since it was mango season, there were several places to buy them. There were roadside stands all through the island and even a mango festival in a neighboring town. We bought several different varieties to test, and each one was eaten as quickly as we could peel it — the salsa recipe could wait until we got back to Minnesota.
Now I’m back and can get mangos in any grocery store, but I miss my mango tree on the beach!
Mango Salsa
Makes 3 cups
1 small red pepper, finely diced
2 cups diced mango
1–2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
½ red onion, finely sliced
Pinch of salt
Toss all ingredients together, chill and serve with tortilla chips or as an accompaniment to fish, chicken, or pork.
When cooking with young chefs, give them slices of mango to dice. A table knife or paring knife (if they are a little older) should work fine. The mango can get a bit slippery, so tell them to be patient. They can also help prep the red pepper. Cut it in half, then show the kids how to clean out the white parts inside. Cut it into strips, then have the kids dice it (cut it into smaller pieces). The pieces should be pretty small for this recipe. My kids like to juice the limes with a citrus juicer (a simple handheld tool). Feel free to let your kids experiment with the quantities in this recipe; each ingredient does not have to be exact. Have them taste the salsa during the process to see what they like and what they would like to do differently. This is usually my kids’ favorite part!
