Mango

Mangoes have a large pit and are one of the most difficult fruits when it comes to removing the peel and stone, if you’re hoping to keep the flesh intact for cubing or slicing as opposed to making a puree. The best method is to simply cut the two halves free of the stone lengthwise, as close as possible to the large, flat seed, then scoop out the flesh from these halves and discard the skin. To serve mango with the peel on, follow the same method but instead of scooping out the flesh, use a small, sharp knife to cut through the flesh down to the peel in both directions on each cut half. Then turn the halves inside out to raise the scored flesh in a hedgehog pattern (see Figure 14-2).