Name: Pan-Seared Scallops with Smoked-Tomato Butter and Warm Spinach Salad
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 1/4 hr
Yield: Makes 4 first-course servings
Ingredients: 1 large tomato (about 1/2 pound); 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 (2-ounce) piece slab bacon (rind discarded), cut into 1/4-inch-thick sticks; 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach (1 ounce); 1 cup loosely packed watercress sprigs (3/4 ounce), coarse stems discarded; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice; 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 8 sea scallops (9 to 10 ounces total), tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary; 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil*; a stovetop smoker/cooker; 1 teaspoon fine hickory wood chips**; 4 (2 1/2- to 3-inch) scallop shells or small ovenproof plates

This recipe makes more smoked-tomato butter than you need for the scallops — use the leftover butter on steak or fish.

Cooks' note:

Smoked-tomato butter can be chilled up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in foil (in addition to the wax paper), 2 weeks.

*Available at specialty foods shops, some supermarkets, and The Baker's Catalogue (800-827-6836; bakerscatalogue.com).
**Available at cameronsmoker.com (888-563-0227).

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