The Mystery of a Mango. Salad day #3.

Mango, avocado and shrimp salad

Mangoes and I have had a rather rocky relationship. I have always loved the idea of them. They are big, and beautiful and seem to promise so much. But I would buy them, only to find that they were tough and stringy and bitter inside. I had been told by a mango loving co-worker that the skin of the mango will be in shades of red and yellow when it is ripe. She seemed confused by my difficulties and clearly did not understand why this was even a struggle for me. But somehow even the red and yellow ones managed to foil me. She hadn't told me that it's possible the mango may not be quite red and yellow enough. She had also told me to smell it. But all mangos have a scent. Until you smell one that is truly ripe, how do you really know?

One summer day a few years ago, I decided it was time to give the mango another try. I could never truly give up on it, I was always so tempted by it's exotic appeal. I had selected one that had seemed more red and yellow than any of the others at the market. I felt optimistic about my choice but when I got home I wondered if this would be just another disappointment. I slowly cut into the mango with my knife, just a small incision. I could instantly feel, and hear, it resisting. My heart sank, the pleasures of the mango had eluded me again. Despite my heart break, I couldn't bear to throw it away, something prevented me. I had been raised not to be wasteful, and throwing it out contradicted everything my parents had taught me. So there it sat, on my counter, waiting until I could muster up the courage to dispose of it. If it started to show signs of rot, or mold, then I would be freed of my guilt.

After 3 days, it still sat on the counter, taunting me with constant reminders of my inability to understand the mango. And there was not a speck of mold nor rot to be found. Finally, I decided the time had come, it had to go. I picked it up with a feeling of immense regret. As I grasped it, I felt it give a little under the pressure of my grip. I had never felt that before, it was a new sensation. I brought it up to my nose, poised to throw it in the garbage, and was instantly overcome with a sweet musty smell that reminded me of all of my favourite fruits. It was intoxicating and confusing. My curiosity got the better of me, so I reached for a knife and began to slice. The blade slid through with ease, as though cutting through butter. It's juices spilled out onto the counter as I sliced through it's flesh. I was stunned by it's deep orangey gold colour. It didn't take me long to sink my teeth into it. Heaven. Now there was no going back.

Admittedly, there are still times when the mango asserts itself and punishes me for being impatient. Sometimes, I am over-confident, and inevitably, I cut into it too early. And I am forced to suffer the consequences, receiving only a small portion of the mango's bounty, while the rest of it clearly still needs more time to ripen. The mango won't give in to my impatience, and I am always the one who loses out.

There are many recipes to be found using mangoes. There are two that I have recently come across that seem ridiculously simple and that I am eager to try:
Martha's Mango Mayonnaise and her Mango-Yogurt drink

In the meantime, I incorporated the mango into my salad theme this week to satisfy my craving for this elusive fruit. I used the dressing in a recipe that I found at Epicurious.com and really enjoyed it. The original recipe includes seasoning and grilling the shrimp. Because I could only find pre-cooked shrimp, I opted not to do anything to them. They are tasty enough on their own tossed with the rest of the salad. And as you can see by the picture above, I also added avocado to the salad.

I have provided the dressing recipe below. The full recipe including the seasoning and grilling of the shrimp can be found here Mango Salad with Grilled Shrimp (Epicurious.com).
This would also make a nice salsa if the mango and avocado are chopped in smaller pieces.

Mango, Avocado and Shrimp Salad
chopped mango
chopped avocado
cooked shrimp

Dressing from Epicurious.com recipe
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (4-inch-long) fresh hot red chile, thinly sliced, including seeds
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Whisk together brown sugar and lime juice in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved, then whisk in the rest. For my salad, toss the mangoes, avocado and shrimp with the dressing.