Summer is here, which means it’s hot as heck, mosquitos are biting and my roof is leaking due to all the rain. But if there’s one thing I’m grateful for this time of year, it’s mangoes. These sweet, juicy gifts of summer almost make up for the heaviness of the season. Such a typically Mexican bounty of course, also deserves some incredible mango-based recipes to go along with it.
It’s my ninth summer living in Chacala, a small community on the coast of Nayarit. While most foreigners take off for cooler climes during this time of year, I stick it out for most of the season. Despite the heat, rain and bugs, it’s actually one of my favorite times of the year. There are fewer tourists, everything is green and lush, the ocean is warm and flowers and fruit are exploding everywhere.
Chacala is surrounded by mango groves and wild mango trees. Starting around the end of May, the fruit develops into fist-sized gold, pink, red and fuchsia bulbs that hang from branches like gaudy earrings. When ripe, they fall to the ground for the birds, bugs and iguanas to gorge on and for humans to collect.
“Scrumping” for fruit is one of my favorite pastimes living in the tropics of Mexico. It’s not uncommon for me to return home from my daily walk with a bag full of passionfruit (maracuyá), limes, guavas, mangoes and more.
Mangoes are the family favorite by far. We each eat two to three a day. Á la Harry Styles, we’re on a mango sugar high. At 45 grams of sugar and 200 calories a piece, it’s an indulgence that takes a toll on our waistlines, but it’s worth every bite when you taste a tree-ripened mango.
Despite being sugar bombs, mangoes are a great source of vitamins C, A and B6, and more than a dozen other nutrients and minerals that benefit the immune system and heart and digestive health. I like to remind myself of this when I go for my fourth mango of the day.
We buy them by the crateful: for about US $7, you can get about 50 mangoes. I’m often up to my elbows in mango juice slicing and storing the fruits for the winter months and turning them into salsas, desserts, jams and more to share with family and friends.
If you’ve got a few extra mangoes hanging around this summer, here are some of my most requested recipes. Enjoy!
Mango salsa
Ingredients
2 mangoes finely diced
¼ cup finely diced red onion
½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup finely chopped poblano pepper
½ of a finely chopped serrano pepper
Juice of 1 lime
A few pinches of sea salt
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes to integrate the flavors. Add more salt or serrano if you like your salsa saltier or spicier. Mango salsa tastes great on fish and shrimp, as a dip for tortilla chips or on top of fresh greens for a sweet and spicy salad.
Mango chutney
Ingredients
2-3 diced mangoes
1 clove minced garlic
¼ cup white vinegar
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and blend with a wand blender or regular blender once cooled. Mango chutney is delicious with curries, grilled fish or just spread on toast!
Mango galette
I have my friend Karen to thank for introducing me to galettes, an easy way to make a fruit pie without bothering with making a fancy crust. It’s like an open-faced empanada!
Ingredients
Crust
1 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 stick grated cold butter
2-4 tbsp ice water
For crust coating
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
Filling
3-4 cups diced mango
⅛ cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add cold grated butter and mix with your hands until pea-sized chunks start to form. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the chunks start to come together to form a dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. In a separate bowl, combine mangoes, sugar, flour and vanilla and mix until well integrated. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg.
- After the dough is done chilling, preheat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface into a small pizza shape: about 12 inches in circumference and ¼-⅛ inch thick. Transfer it to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Add the mango mixture to the center and fold up and pleat the edges of the dough to make a nice little round basket for your fruit.
- Brush the crust with the egg and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until the crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Pro tip: top with vanilla ice cream!
Debbie Slobe is a writer and communications strategist based in Chacala, Nayarit. She blogs at Mexpatmama.com and is a senior program director at Resource Media. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
