Eew.
Then my friend, Sharon, showed me how to do it neatly and prettily with minimal slime.
Thank you, Sharon!
This is what you do:
First, cut the sides off the mango.
You'll leave the center section with the seed in it.
Now you have three parts.
Hold the mango in your hand and cut down through the flesh to the skin. Make your cuts 1/2 inch apart.
Now, turn the mango 90 degrees and cut it again.
Now, turn the skin inside out. The mango sections will look sort of porcupine-y.
Put your thumb at the base of a section and push it off the skin into a bowl.
Easy.
Push the sections all off the skin. You might have to work a bit to get the tiny ones off the edges. It's worth the extra effort.
Now all you have left is the center. Set it on an end and cut the skin off with a knife.
This is the messiest part - but it's fast! Once the skin is off, you can score the edges and then cut them off near the seed.
You'll end up with two empty skins, a small section of peel, a large seed and a beautiful bowl full of bite sized mango pieces - perfect for salads or jams.
