Aussie mangoes mean Summer – the feeling of sunshine and the spray from the garden hose on your skin, kids laughing, the smell of the barbeque and long evenings serenaded by kookaburras and cicadas.
It’s that first bite of mango that sends sweet, sticky juice running down your chin. Mangoes are an icon Down Under and when the first tray of the season goes under the hammer we know it's time to enjoy this versatile fruit in all its glory.
Quick and easy to prepare, bursting with nutritional value and with a range of varieties to be enjoyed all season long, mangoes are delicious as a healthy snack on their own; they also pair perfectly with chicken, prawns and Summer salad, can be thrown on the barbeque or used in cocktails, smoothies and sweet desserts.
Here are five recipes to enjoy mangoes your way:
Cut the four chubby cheeks from your mangoes; keep the skin on, but score the flesh side with the pointy end of a small, sharp knife in a crisscross fashion, cutting about halfway to the skin. Coat the cut flesh with the brown sugar, giving each cheek a little flex to open its cuts and let the sugar in. Cook in a wood-fired oven, a cast-iron pan or the oven until just softened and surrounded by caramelised and slightly burnt sugar.
Once cool at room temperature, eat your mangoes with a spoon, straight from the skin, seasoned with a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt, a spritz of fresh lime or lemon juice and a large dollop of the whipped mango fool.
Poké bowls are an extremely healthy way to enjoy fresh fruit, vegetables and protein such as sashimi-quality tuna which is the staple in this delicious recipe. Combined with mangoes, spring onion, brown rice, quinoa, edamame, cucumber, mixed lettuce and seaweed, this bowl packs a punch while the mango and coriander dressing with sherry vinegar adds a hit of freshness.
This vibrant salad is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas barbeques or light lunches – shaped like a wreath, it combines thinly sliced fennel with cooked prawns, cucumber, radish, mango, baby rocket and toasted pistachio kernels to tempt Summer tastebuds. The dressing is made with crème fraiche and mint for a burst of creamy flavour to complement the seafood.
This is a deeply lemon tart with a wobbly creamy filling that just screams Summer dessert please! Zest the lemons before juicing them – don’t skip the zest in this recipe as it adds a deep lemon flavour that you won’t get otherwise. This comfortingly creamy, crispy-shelled masterpiece is better than you could ever imagine.
It’s always taco time, so do your guests a favour and fill their plates with these easy-to-make grilled prawn and mango tacos. The tantalising blend of seafood and sweet fruit will bring a tropical fiesta feel to a festive meal.
