A mango has a flat stone running lengthwise through the centre. Knowing where it sits is the whole job.
Find the stone first
Mangoes are oval, not round. The stone runs along the wide face. Turn the fruit so the wide side faces you, then stand it upright on the board.
Place your knife about 1 cm off-centre on that wide side. Cut straight down. You'll feel if you've hit the stone — shift 2 mm and go again. Repeat on the other side.
You now have two cheeks and the stone section in the middle. The cheeks hold about 80% of the flesh.
Score and release
Hold one cheek skin-side down. Score the flesh in a grid — cuts 1.5 cm apart, down to the skin but not through it. Press the skin upward with both thumbs to fan the cubes out. Run a large spoon along the base and release them in one sweep.
Deal with the strip
Lay the stone section flat. Slice the skin off the sides. Cut the remaining flesh away from the stone in two or three passes — you'll get a handful of good pieces. What clings to the bone is the cook's share.
One thing that makes it easier
A sharp knife clears the stone cleanly. A dull one catches and skids. Ten seconds on a honing steel before you start makes every cut smoother and keeps the stone from stopping you mid-slice.
Total time: 90 seconds. Total waste: one stone.
