Folks, keep an eye out for the flat, banana-yellow, kidney shaped Haitian mangoes sometimes called "Saigon." They are, without a doubt, the best commercial mangoes I have tasted. (Roadside stands in S. FL and tropical countries excluded.)

A propos of the moniker, the guys at Tank will use these when they are available.

If you see them, please post.

Saveur magazine promises an article on 'the luscious goodness' of Mangoes in their June/July edition. Something to look forward to, though since I just received my May edition, we have a while to wait.

JeffB wrote:Folks, keep an eye out for the flat, banana-yellow, kidney shaped Haitian mangoes sometimes called "Saigon." They are, without a doubt, the best commercial mangoes I have tasted. (Roadside stands in S. FL and tropical countries excluded.)

A propos of the moniker, the guys at Tank will use these when they are available.

If you see them, please post.

Is there a picture or link to the saigon mangoes? I didn't find any pictures but this was an interesting mango page.
It seems that the #4959 mangoes that I've encountered are "Oro"

This ode to the mango was also interesting reading

Stanley's has some nice ripe Manilla mangoes right now for 3 for $1.

I was very excited b/c I didn't see them all last year and find them light years better in texture and taste than the most common large mangoes.
A good ripe one is almost like eating egg custurd.

here's a pic:


From what I can find there also known as francines, and usually only are fully ripened by late summer. Apparently also that there is less mechanization in getting them to market, and so there's less availability in the US

btw, here's another nice mango article

I just remembered -
At Pete's I noticed Zain brand mango juice (I'm sure many other places carry this). These packets, unlike the ones I have seen before, have "Alphonso" mentioned on the label.

This brand is probably the best tasting commercial mango juice I've tried. It is 30% juice - which is okay for mango juice. 100% would be too thick a pulp to drink as juice anyway. I've found canned pulps a tinge metallic, although it has been years since I've bought any

[edit]:The Zain Guava juice is very good too.

I saw my first Manila mangoes of the season today at Garden Fresh in Northbrook.

They were soft, but had not yet achieved the look or smell of ripeness. The label on the fruit denoted Mexican origin.

I will be greatly anticipating their arrival as a friend turned me onto them last year. I was sad to see them go.

I have been known to dig in to this delicacy, mess be damned. This tends to result in the proverbial juice dribbling down my chin (which may hasten the springtime ritual of shaving off my beard).

What, if any, is the difference between the small, yellow mangos mentioned here and "champagne mangos"?
I noticed champagne mangos at wholefoods the other day but didn't grab any, I was on a mission for Fage yogurt and didn't feel like hauling up to trader joes.

David Hammond wrote:Little Yellow Mangoes . . . lusciously sweet, but with that turpentine-y mango smack we like,

I know just what you are talking about, Mr. Hammond. I have always felt that the special charms of mangoes are enhanced by their piney-ness. Last spring I made a dinner with Indian flavors in classic dishes from other countries. For one of the desserts I developed a kind of Anglo-Indian mango trifle with gin and fig preserves and it went over quite well with friends. The juniper in the gin really goes well with the turpentine-y quality of the mangoes. No one seemed to taste the gin as gin. There is no custard in the trifle, so it is quite quick and easy. Here is the recipe, more or less:

Mango Trifle with Gin

Ingredients:

1 Package Savoiardi (Italian ladyfingers)
1 Pint Whipping Cream, whipped (organic if available)
3-6 T. Gin
1/2 jar Green Fig preserves
4 large to 8 small mangoes (number needed depending on size)
Optional: 2 T. Crystallized ginger, finely minced
Note: This creates a more complex flavor, but may interfere with pure appreciation of the piney quality of the mangoes and gin.

Method:

Melt fig preserve in microwave-- should be liquid, so add a T. of water & stir if it seems too thick to spread.
Brush fig preserve onto savoiardi -- use your discretion here, it's a matter of taste.
Line a trifle bowl or other deep bowl with savoiardi-- the fig preserve helps them to stick in place.
Peel and slice mangoes and place in bowl on top of savoiardi.
Sprinkle optional ginger over mango slices (if using).
Drizzle with gin -- drench if you like.
Top fruit with Whipped Cream. Slightly overfill bowl. It seems like a lot of cream, but no one protested when they ate it.
Refrigerate for an hour to let savoiardi soften and flavors blend.
Serve.

N.B. If you assemble the trifle too far ahead (more than an hour or two), it will lose its kick, but the gin will still add that je ne sais quoi.

I'd seen some Manila (#4312) mangoes on Devon a couple of weeks ago, but they looked greenish – definitely picked too early. It seems rather early for the mango season. Anyways now at Pete's (47th/Kedzie), there were some large green-yellow Manilas (97¢ each) which I passed on. Checked out and leaving I passed some stacked boxes of Manilas that looked much better – nice deep yellow. I searched a bit through the boxes to get one with the most yellow ones, as well as a box with higher sides so that the mangoes weren't squished by the box on top. At $3.98/box (of 18 ) this was great – I picked one up and went back in line.
(product of Mexico – Lot 01 but no discernable date on box)

FWIW, A2Fay showed me boxes of very fragrant and good looking Tommys (#4051; $6.98/box), which I would have been tempted to get if I hadn't already picked the Manilas. The Manilas were very tasty.
(For those interested, Pete's also had on special Mexican coke – 12 fl. oz. glass bottles at 97¢)

I'm not going to bore the board with long recounts of Mango seeking expeditions (which I don't think I'll undertake this year – not in Chicago, anyway). I just wanted to share a quick, fairly efficient and non-messy way to consume my favourite fruit.
One cut, twist off top (easier if not clingstone), enjoy with spoon.

Nice trick, sazerac, I'll be trying it tonight. As far as current mango sources go, I saw Manila mangoes advertised yesterday at 2/$1.00 at Jimenez on W. Fullerton.

FYI - I spotted several boxes of Manilas at Danny's yesterday afternoon. Don't recall price, though, as I didn't have a lot of time to poke around.

Danny's Fresh Market
2140 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 235-0999

As reported upthread, I again saw the yellow mangoes (not marked Manila but hailing from Mexico) at Garden Fresh. This time $5 buys you a box of 18.

They didn't seem quite ripe yet.

Going to the IFPC's website, looking up the following yields:
4051: mango, red, small
4959: mango, red, large
4312: mango, yellow

Not necessarily Tommy vs Kent vs other...

For instance I picked up a box of 4051's today at Valli Produce $5.50 for box of 12 which were checked as Kent's on the side of the box. I think they were selling Manillas at 3/$1.00 - I forget the case price; They looked a bit wrinkled though and the boxes were kinda mixed up in contents (couldn't get a clear count as to how many per box - looked rifled through).



You guys gave me a craving for mangos - of which I'd never actually bought myself before. The one in the upper-right-hand corner is currently sitting in a paper bag w/ an apple awaiting consumption.

sazerac wrote:Meen (=Fish) Moilee (pronounced "Molly", rhymes with Polly)

ronnie_suburban wrote:
sazerac's meen moilee by figjustin & figmolly


figmolly shows off her platter of sazerac's meen moilee

Ronnie_suburban's great photos from the LTHForum 1,000-Recipe Potluck, June 22, 2008, appear here and here, including these shots of Mrs. sazerac's meen moilee as prepared by figmolly. Figmolly also commented on making the dish.