The bumper crops seem to alternate years, but 2023 has definitely been prolific. Alas, my own mango tree, with delicious Mallika Indian mangoes, didn’t have a lot of mangoes, perhaps because I recently trimmed it. Quite a few of the mangoes I did get were eaten by squirrels, while they were still green and on the tree. Darn squirrels! I did manage to rescue a couple, however, which I relished. I ate those, chilled, sliced and in a bowl. Smooth, creamy, sweet and fragrant. Pure heaven!

My first batch of this year’s mangoes came from a tennis teammate, who was going out of town and didn’t want them to go to waste. She owns a farm in the Redlands and gave me a big box of beauties. With that HUGE supply, I made three batches of Mango Jam– regular, spicy red pepper and habanero.

My Mom was the second person to give me mangoes, as she has quite a few trees my Dad planted. I made Mango Sorbet and Mango Bread with those mangoes. A.J. left a couple for me, so I tried making Mango Bar B Que sauce. I substituted the tomatoes for mangoes and altered some of the ingredients for a more tropical Bar B Que sauce- perfect for shrimp, fish and pork.

When all else fails, and mangoes are in danger of going bad, pureeing them is an excellent idea. These can be frozen for future use, or used in Mango Bellinis, as I did for my Pizza Dinner Party. While I put a little mango puree at the bottom of the glass and poured the Prosecco over the top, in the future I will stir the mango puree into the Prosecco and then pour, thus avoiding the mango volcano eruption the puree created.

I read an article from a local chef, who recommended different ways to use up all the excess mangoes in Miami this year. One way he suggested was to chop up the mangoes, soak them in rum and make them into Mango Mojitos. I chopped and soaked the mangoes in rum for a couple days, but made a Mango Daiquiri instead. Delicious and very refreshing. After sipping this by the pool, I decided this should take the place of Mojitos as the official drink of Florida.

The last remaining mangoes traveled with me for a weekend in Key Largo. Searching inspiration in my fridge, I spotted some fresh mozzarella cheese and decided to use them with that, on a take of a Caprese Salad. I served sliced mangoes with sliced mozzarella on a bed of lettuce and topped it with a raspberry, jalapeno vinaigrette and chopped, toasted almonds. It was quite delicious, refreshing and tropical; I will keep this Mango Mozzarella Salad recipe in rotation for next year. It was an easy and impressive dish.

Below, is how I slice mangoes. I find to be the easiest and most efficient method. Slice in half and cross-hatch the side without the seed. Then, flip the flesh out until it looks like an orange porcupine, then slice those chunks off. The side with the seed is harder to manage, but doable. Slice around the circumference as deep as you can, then remove the skin, exposing the flesh. Cross-hatch the flesh, getting as close to the seed as possible. Slice those chunks off as well and whatever flesh is around the sides of the seed. Voila! You’ve sliced a mango.

Alas, mango season seems to be coming to an end. I went to my Mom’s for more and she offered me avocados instead, now falling from trees at her house. I love Mango Season though- it’s one of the only bright spots in the otherwise unbearably hot and humid Miami summers. And, even with the excess of mangoes available this year, I think most people who live in Miami will agree, it always ends too soon.

Up Next: Around the State in 7 Days

While I haven’t been to Hillstone’s in ages, (even before the Pandemic, I couldn’t stand the crowds), I do miss this salad. I tried to re-create it at home, but it never tasted exactly right until I found this recipe online at La Dolce Vita, written by Fred Bollaci, known as the Healthy Gourmet. I had leftover steak and a beautiful Mallika mango from my tree (one of only 3 I’ve had this year), so I had most of the makings for this salad.

I didn’t have ramen or lo mein noodles, so subbed angel hair pasta and didn’t have arugula or watercress (although I love both!) so subbed Romaine and spinach. Don’t skip the herbs, however, as they really add another, fresh, dimension to this salad. If you’re not a steak-lover, this salad would also work great with leftover pork or chicken. This is the perfect salad for Miami Foodies this summer. The temperatures have been brutal, so who wants to heat up the kitchen? Even my meat and potatoes husband Zeke, enjoyed this sweet, savory and spicy salad for dinner. I hope you will too.

Houston’s Thai Steak and Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Steak

1 1/2 inch ginger, peeled, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1/4 olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 pound filet mignon steaks, 1 inch thick

Kosher salt

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup hot chili paste (I used sriracha)

1/4 cup peanut oil

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Salad and Assembly

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 large mango, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 bunch arugula, leaves torn

1/2 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

2 medium carrots, finely shredded

2 scallions, chopped

2 cups finely shredded savoy cabbage

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cut into 1 inch piences

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

1/4 cup torn mint leaves

1/4 cup crumbled toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes (I skipped this)

1/4 cup finely chopped, salted, roasted peanuts, plus more for serving

Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation:

Steak

Whisk ginger, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisking constantly, gradually add olive oil, then sesame oil. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and add steaks. Close bag, pressing air out and turn steak to coat. Chill at least 6 hours and up to 12.

Prepare grill for medium heat. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. Season lightly with salt. Grill, turning every 2 minutes, until lightly charred all over and the temperature in the thickest part reads 12o, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before cutting into 1″ pieces.

Dressing

Whisk lime juice, chili paste, peanut oil, fish sauce, sugar, honey and garlic in a small bowl to combine. Taste and season with salt if desired.

Salad and Assembly

Cook noodles in a small pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with oil in a large bowl. Add mango, arugula, watercress, carrots, scallions, cabbage, tomatoes and dressing and toss to coat. Add steak, avocado, cilantro, basil, mint, coconut flakes and 1/4 cup peanuts. Gently toss to combine. Top with additional peanuts and sere with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Divide salad among plates, piling as high as possible. Top with additional peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe by Hillstone Restaurant Group

Up Next: Foods to Always Have in the Freezer, Mango Mania.