Citrus

We like to serve this fresh salsa with grilled fish, chicken, or pork, or as a dip for tortilla chips.

"All my favorite things are about chocolate," says Elizabeth Falkner. Thin layers of flourless chocolate cake and an intensely chocolaty mousse are paired with crunchy hazelnuts and hints of orange in this truly decadent dessert. Try it with a scoop of coffee-chocolate chip ice cream alongside. For best results, use a premium bittersweet chocolate with a high cocoa bean content (variously labeled "cocoa solids," "cocoa," or "cacao"), such as Scharffen Berger 70 percent or Callebaut.

Known in Asia as Shaking Beef Salad, or bo luc lac, this Vietnamese classic is made by shaking — essentially searing — steak in a very hot pan. Jasmine rice or brown rice would be ideal alongside.

Mahimahi is on of Hawaii's most popular fish; firm-fleshed and mild-flavored, it can be cooked in almost any manner and cloaked in almost any sauce. I like the flavor of citrus with mahimahi, enhanced by some spicy peppercorns. Sweet bananas, a hint of coconut, and macadamia nuts add to the tropical flavors in this light dish.

The original Diablo calls for crème de cassis, but here we've used black-currant nectar, which adds a woodsy flavor.

This traditional Brazilian drink gets an extra dose of tropical flavor from passion-fruit juice.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course after you set aside one third of the fish (see cooks' note, below) to make the capellini with salmon and lemon-dill-vodka sauce. Otherwise, it serves 6.

Food Editor: Melissa Roberts-Matar
Father: Richard Roberts, Monsey, NY
Summer and my father's grilled lemon chicken are synonymous for me. Like the alphabet-shaped pancakes he cooked on weekend mornings, this is a signature creation, and one he perfected over time. The chicken picks up a bright citrus flavor in an unusual marinade made with lemon, oil, and egg. Dad likes to serve it with homemade potato salad and iced tea spiked with mint leaves.

Traditionally used to enclose a savory filling, wonton wrappers are cut and fried into crisp triangles here, lending crunchy texture to soft crabmeat.

The sweet sharpness of both the orange juice and the balsamic vinegar combines with the natural sugars in the onions to create a delicious snack that's perfect to serve with cocktails, as an addition to an antipasto assortment, or as an accompaniment to roasted meats.

Anatra Ripiena This is virtuoso trattoria cooking; not modest, certainly, but authentic. What to drink: A reserve Chianti. Try: Fontodi Chianti Riserva.

This dish — meant to be eaten with your fingers or with wooden picks — is a light, refreshing hors d'oeuvre to complement tequila. The recipe is a take on the jicama and cucumber spears that are a popular Mexican street snack.

The citrus-scented sugar syrup will make more than enough for eight drinks. Use the extra for seconds, or save it for sweetening other citrus cocktails. Freshly ground nutmeg is more aromatic than the pre-ground spice. Buy whole nutmeg (often sold in jars in the supermarket spice section) and scrape against the finest holes on a box grater.

This sauce adds a bright piquancy to almost any seafood. Try it with poached salmon, seared tuna, or sautéed shrimp.