Before they appeared at my farmer’s market recently, I’d never seen a mamey in the US. Having had (and loved) them in other places, of course I had to buy one and see what I could make of it.

The times I’ve had mamey before it was usually in or on ice cream, or part of some elaborate fruit plate concoction. I had no intention of attempting to make ice cream, and I didn’t have any at home either. A fruit concoction was tempting, but living alone I knew that would lead to too much leftover growing tasteless in the fridge. And, it being Tuesday, an impromptu dinner party was unlikely. So it was to be a single-serving affair.

For those who’ve never had this amazing fruit: it looks like a small, gray football, and has gorgeous orange-pink flesh and a seed that’s toxic and wonderful for making insecticide. It tastes…like mamey. I’d almost describe it as a milder papaya, vaguely pumpkin-flavored with a hint of coconut, but that wouldn’t help anyone even if it was accurate. Trust me, it’s delicious. (But also trust: don’t eat the seed, or even the flesh that’s right next to it just to be safe…you don’t want to know what it does.)

I decided to could make something quick, delicious, and just weird enough to make me happy. What did I do? I cut up the mamey, sprinkled it with lime juice (not very much), and added sichuan peppers. Sweet, hot, and flavorful, this was a winning dessert that might even qualify as a healthy pre-gym snack.

-MAW