Video: How To Break Down Jackfruit

Jackfruit is easier to handle than you think

With the heft of a large watermelon and peel like a studded, leathery reptile, a jackfruit can certainly look intimidating. Once you get past the armor-esque skin and hack into it, what do you do from there? Go for the seeds? The flesh? Help is on the way.

As it rises in popularity for both sweet and savory uses, learning how to break one down is helpful to know and easier than you think.

Jackfruit are typically so large that they are not sold whole and will come already halved or quartered. Start by cutting the half (or quarter) down to an even more manageable size. Then, using your fingers, fish around in the flesh to find the fruit. When ripe, this is the bright yellow part clinging to the large brown seeds. Rip out these chunks and then remove the seeds from the flesh. Discard the seeds and save the soft, sweet fruit pieces for use in your favorite jackfruit recipe. If you get a young green jackfruit, you can use the same flesh in savory applications, like vegan pulled "pork" tacos.

Watch the video above to learn how to break this funky fruit down.

Get more jackfruit recipes:

Barbecue Jackfruit Vegan Sandwiches

Spicy, Saucy Jackfruit Curry

Sweet Indian Jackfruit Puffs