I looooove mangos!  All varieties. My favorite thing to do is take a very ripe mango, roll it around until the flesh is pulverized and juicy, and then poke a straw through the skin to drink it.

I don’t do this as much in Utah – where mangoes arrive green – as I did in Venezuela where they fell onto the ground with such force when they were ripe, that the job of pulverizing was practically done for me.

If you do find fresh, ripe mangoes, here’s how to cut them up into beautiful bite-sized pieces.

1. Start at the center top of the mango and cut downwards along the curve of the pit – you will feel slight pressure on your knife as you do this.  Rotate the mango, and carefully cut down the other side.  Set both halves to the side.
2. You will be left with a pit with some fruit around the edges.  Remove the skin from the pit and cut this fruit off and place it in a dish.
3. Place one mango half in your less-dominant hand.  With a paring knife, cut a grid into the mango without cutting through the mango skin.  As you do this more often you will notice the right amount of pressure and depth you need. Be careful in doing this so that you do not cut through the skin into your hand.  If you are not comfortable doing this yet, set the mango half on the counter to cut the grid.
4. Flip the mango outward so that the cubed pieces stand out.  Slice the fruit away from the skin into your dish, cutting as much on the pulp away as possible. Voila – instant cubes.
5. Repeat for the other half.

Want to see it in action?