Mango season often comes twice a year on Maui. Seasonality is confused in the islands—what fruits when, when the weather is sweet and constant like a faithful lover? But in the heat of July, mangos are usually dripping off trees all over the island, infusing the air around them with the heady scent of golden flesh.
Some of my favorite mango moments were mango pies and cobblers, which my friend Maria’s mother made with enthusiastic abandon, and mango chutney, which my friend Tara’s mother made as a remembrance of her Indian heritage. Of course there were pickled mangos and li hing mui mango and dried mango, too. And, obviously, the old eat-the-mango-whole-over-your-sink trick. We all knew to wash our faces well after that, so we wouldn’t get a rash from the sticky juice.
So you’ll understand why a girl might get particularly excited when mangoes start to come into season on the mainland. I have yet to find a local source of mangoes here in LA (anyone?! I’ll barter!), but there is a steady stream of imported fruit from down south. Since living in California, I’ve discovered new varieties of the fruit, and have come to appreciate the champagne mango in particular.
It’s got a mellow, luscious vibe—it’s a mango that’s not overstating its elegance or flavor, but is instead perfectly bold and sweet. Here, mixed with lime, mint, and a touch of sea salt, it takes on a cooling dimension.
This freeze is excellent right out of the blender, like a thick smoothie. If you want to make it into a granita or popsicles, feel free to freeze in an ice cube tray (for reblending into a granita) or popsicle mold accordingly. On a wilder note, add tequila!
There’s also a handy tutorial below for how to cut a mango island style.
MANGO MINT FREEZE!
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh mango (2-3 mangos depending on size)
- juice of 1 ½ limes
- 9 ice cubes cracked
- pinches two sea salt
- 20 fresh mint leaves plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- To cut open your mango island style, hold it vertical and slice it lengthwise along the side of the pit. You’re going to be making two cuts, one on either side of the pit. Just estimate how large you think the pit might be—usually about ½-inch thick. Once you have two pit-less cuts of mango, score them like a tic-tac-toe board and pop them open. You can easily cut the flesh off the skin. For the piece of mango with the pit, cut off the skin and pare the flesh away from the seed.
- Place mango, lime juice, sea salt, and ice cubes (use the back of a large metal spoon to crack them) in a blender, and blend on high until smooth. Turn off blender and add mint leaves. Blend another 10-15 seconds, until you see nicely distributed flecks of mint (don’t overland, or the flecks will disappear into a muddy orange-green color).
- Pour and eat with a spoon and extra mint for garnish, or modify into granita or popsicles as above!
