Instructions: MIX ADDS SUBTLE, SMOKY FLAVOR, BY MARK BITTMAN, New York Times

Green tea, which has moved well into the mainstream as a drink lately, has another, more potent use: in cooking. A sprinkling of the finely powdered green leaves, dusted over simple broiled fish as if it were freshly ground black pepper, adds a subtle, smoky flavor that instantly changes the nature of the dish. For a surprising accent, mix a little salt with the green tea, as the Japanese sometimes do.

Both green and black tea come from the same bush, Camellia senensis, but black leaves are fermented and the green are simply dried. The flavors of all teas vary widely, and although black teas are stronger, green have more herbal overtones, making them suitable for use with food.

Green tea powder, meant to be used as a condiment, can be found in Japanese specialty shops, but it is relatively expensive and not really essential. When I ran out, I tried grinding my own from some plain green tea bought at my local Asian market. If there were differences they were lost on me.

The clear taste of the powder is ephemeral, but it seems to have the ability to cut through stronger flavors, especially when teamed with lime or lemon juice. Its good sprinkled on broiled chicken or Cornish hen, for example, but I like it best on full-flavored fish, including halibut, swordfish, red snapper, bluefish and mackerel.

With white-flesh fish, the tea tastes best teamed with butter and lemon; fish with dark flesh is complemented by sesame oil and lime - though none of this is dogma.

I cook both types of fish under the broiler, as close to the heat source as possible. The salt, tea and citrus are added just before serving to keep their flavors as bright as possible.

You can use an electric coffee grinder or a spice grinder to turn the leaves into powder, but clean them thoroughly before processing the tea. Either wipe the grinder well, first with a barely damp paper towel and then with a dry one, or grind a couple of tablespoons of rice to a powder, empty them out and wipe the grinder with a paper towel.

You can repeat the process after you grind the tea, although its flavor is so mild that you probably wont notice the next time you grind coffee or spices.

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