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pan!) than smoking in the oven. Once you locate a source for the finely ground wood chips that stovetop smoking requires, and become comfortable with the basic technique, you’ll find yourself performing this trick on any number of proteins and vegetables—like Smoked Cauliflower, one of our favorites. And although we eat this smoked trout most often as a main course, it makes a superb cocktail-hour snack for 6 to 8 people, served with crackers and garnished with capers and wedges of lemon, or an appetizer salad for 4, flaked over small plates of dressed fresh greens.

If you’ve never used a stovetop smoker, or even if you have, read Notes on Successful Stovetop Smoking.

4 whole trout fillets

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large lemon, cut into wedges

1 Put 2 tablespoons applewood or cherrywood smoking chips in the center of a stovetop smoker pan, or in the center of a 9-x-13-inch stainless steel or aluminum roasting pan. If you are using a smoker pan, place the drip tray and rack inside the pan. If you are using a conventional roasting pan and rack, wrap the roasting rack in aluminum foil and place it in the pan. Season both sides of the trout with the salt and black pepper, and place the fillets, skin side down, on the rack. Partially cover the smoker; if using a roasting pan, cover it with aluminum foil, crimping the edges tightly but leaving one corner uncrimped.

2 Turn a burner to medium heat, and center the pan on it. When you see the first wisp of smoke rise from the smoker or pan, cover it completely and continue to smoke the trout until the fish is opaque at its thickest part, about 10 minutes.

3 Serve with lemon wedges. (Covered, the smoked trout will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 days; warm it in a 200°F oven before serving.)

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BUTTERBEAN MASH

serves 4 • TIME: 30 minutes

The habitat of Atlantic sea scallops stretches from Newfoundland down to North Carolina. Southerners developed a taste for them from landings at docks in Virginia and North Carolina, and nowadays from points farther north: although sea scallops are a sustainable seafood choice, stocks from the Northeast tend to be more plentiful than those off the coast of the mid-Atlantic states.

Wherever they come from, we love sea scallops because they have a wonderfully bold sea-sweet flavor akin to that of shrimp and crab, and an alluring texture that is positively sexy when they acquire a seared, nearly crisp, crust. Scallops are typically sold shelled and cleaned, so they require almost no work to prepare, and they cook up in a flash. Here we pair them with a silky butterbean and mint mash kissed with the tang of buttermilk. This dish can be a decadent weeknight meal for the family, or you can roll it out for guests on special occasions.

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1¼ pounds fresh or frozen butterbeans or baby lima beans

1 pound fresh sea scallops (12 large scallops; see Sea Scallop Shopping Notes)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

¼ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Albariño

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves (from about 2 sprigs)

½ cup whole or lowfat buttermilk

1 In a small saucepan, bring a quart of water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil. Add the butterbeans and cook until fork-tender, 7 to 9 minutes (depending on the size of the beans).

2 While the butterbeans cook, pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season them with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and when it has melted, pour off half the butter into a small bowl; reserve. Return the skillet to the heat and when the frothing of the butter has subsided, sear the scallops, about 4 minutes for the first side, 3 minutes for the second. (Take care not to crowd them in the pan; sear them in batches, if necessary.) Transfer the scallops to a plate and loosely tent with