It may be the quickest way to turn your back yard into a tropical getaway.

Adding sweet, citrusy flavors to spicy grilled meats and fish makes an everyday dinner seem like a vacation feast. Even dessert benefits from the combination of tropical fruit and chile flavors, ending a meal with an exotic exclamation point.

"It's the balance of sweetness and spiciness that people like in this sort of cooking," says Cuba Libre Cafe chef Nicolas Sanchez. The tropical fruit and spicy-hot flavor combination is common in Caribbean and Latin dishes.

The menu at Cuba Libre features several items that fall into that category such as pork tacos served with pineapple pico de gallo and blackened salmon with mango barbecue sauce, one of the restaurant's most popular entrees.

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa

View larger More photos Photo store

Mr. Sanchez says the key is to make sure the pairings balance. Hitting a perfect not-too-sweet, not-too-spicy note is the goal. Tweaking flavors is especially important in these dishes because sweetness can vary from one fruit to another, making a recipe more of a guideline.

That said, Mr. Sanchez's home version of grilled and blackened salmon with mango barbecue sauce is not difficult to make. It starts with bottled barbecue sauce and adds fresh mango purée and ginger. Red wine vinegar provides the acidity needed to counter the additional sweetness.

The restaurant pairs the salmon with coconut rice and stir-fried vegetables, but Mr. Sanchez says the salmon dish works well with most simply prepared vegetables and starches, whether cooked on the grill or off.

The fruity-spicy flavor combination works for fruit salads, too.

Summer Snow owner George Rubio started serving fruta con chile after being inspired by desserts he tried in Mexico. His mixed tropical-fruit salads are topped with either chile powder or spicy chamoy sauce. They are a popular item, along with gourmet snowballs, at his stand inside Doc's Food Store (on Central Expressway facing Meadow Road) and will be featured at his new freestanding shop in Italy, Texas, scheduled to open by June 1.

He says the two most important techniques for getting the combination right are using mild chile powder – any type but cayenne – and making sure the tropical fruit is ripe.

"People get impatient with their mangoes and cut them too soon, and they taste a little sour that way," Mr. Rubio says.

It's unlikely that a mango purchased at a supermarket is ripe enough at the time of purchase. They can require 10 to 14 days of sitting on the counter before achieving the right softness, which Mr. Rubio compares to that of a well-ripened avocado.

"Never put a mango in the refrigerator, and if you need it to ripen quickly, stick it in a brown paper bag in the shade for a few hours to speed it along," Mr. Rubio says.

Erin Covert is a Dallas freelance writer.

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

View larger More photos Photo store

Mix orange, pineapple and lime juice together. Combine diced fruit in large bowl. Pour fruit juice over diced fruit. Serve fruit in individual bowls and let each diner sprinkle chile powder and sea salt to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 213 (3% fat) Fat 1 g (Trace sat) No cholesterol Sodium 67 mg Fiber 5 g Carbohydrates 54 g Protein 3 g

SOURCE: George Rubio, owner of Summer Snow

Combine beans, mango, onion, jalapeño, lime juice, honey, olive oil and cilantro in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. This can be prepared and refrigerated, covered, up to one day in advance. Bring to room temperature one hour before serving. Serve with grilled chicken, shrimp or any seafood.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 177 (52% fat) Fat 12 g (2 g sat) No cholesterol Sodium 545 mg Fiber 4 g Carbohydrates 22 g Protein 2 g

SOURCE: Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, $35)

Combine 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons green onion, water, ginger, garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt for marinade. Place beef and marinade in sealable plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Just before grilling, mix mango, 2 tablespoons green onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, cilantro and serrano or jalapeño in medium bowl for salsa. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove steak from marinade, discarding marinade. Place steak on grill over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, about 19 to 24 minutes for medium-rare doneness, turning occasionally. Carve steak into thin slices. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Serve with salsa, 4 cups hot cooked couscous and 2 cups sugar snap peas, steamed.

Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 218 (30% fat) Fat 7 g (3 g sat) Chol 71 mg Sodium 379 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 12 g Protein 26 g

SOURCE: Texas Beef Council

Combine barbecue sauce, mango, ginger, orange juice and red wine vinegar in a medium saucepan. Reduce over a medium-high flame until sauce thickens, about 6 to 8 minutes. Generously rub the blackening spices on all sides of the fillets. Grill over medium-high heat (on an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill) for 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked throughout. Spread a generous amount of the sauce on a deep plate, and serve the fillets on top of the sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 466 (45% fat) Fat 23 g (4 g sat) Chol 112 mg Sodium 1,243 mg Fiber 3 g Carbohydrates 25 g Protein 40 g

SOURCE: Cuba Libre Cafe

•Flavor your dish with an eye toward balance. Use vinegar or lemon juice and maple syrup or honey to make minor adjustments to sauces or salsas just before serving.

•Make sure you let the fruit ripen fully to take full advantage of its sweetness. If your fruit isn't ripe enough, add mango or pineapple juice to sauces or salsas to make up for sour or bitter flavors.

•Different types of tropical fruits make dishes interesting. Mangoes, pineapples, papayas and even peaches are in season and work well in salsas and salads.

•Try mild alternatives to cayenne powder: ancho, pasilla and New Mexico Hatch green chile powders, available at many gourmet and ethnic groceries, are good options.

•Serve on light-colored dishes to maximize the visual impact of the bright tropical colors.

SOURCES: Chef Nicolas Sanchez and George Rubio

George Rubio's fruta con chile will be featured at his new freestanding Summer Snow shop (100 Kinfolk Lane in Italy, Texas), which is set to open by June 1.

The menu will include 45 flavors of gourmet snowballs, from pineapple and mango to wedding cake and Tiger's Blood. There'll also be fresh, squeezed-to-order limeade and a locally sourced chopped watermelon salad with a light citrus dressing.