Roasted Striped Bass with Chive and Sour Cream Sauce

Preparation

1. Make sauce:

   Step 1

   Blend sour cream, water, juice, salt, and chives in a blender until mixture just turns pale green. Season with pepper.

2. Prepare fish:

   Step 2

   Preheat oven to 450°F.

   Step 3

   Remove any pin bones from fish with tweezers or needle-nose pliers and pat fish dry with paper towels. Score skin in several places with a thin sharp knife to prevent fish from curling (do not cut through flesh) and season fish with salt and pepper.

   Step 4

   Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear fish, skin sides down, in 2 batches until skin is golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes (fish will not be fully cooked). Transfer, skin sides up, to an oiled shallow baking pan.

   Step 5

   Roast fish, uncovered, in middle of oven until just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.

   Step 6

   Spoon 3 tablespoons sauce onto each of 6 plates and top with potatoes and zucchini. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each fillet, then place fish, skin sides up, over vegetables. Top fish with sprouts.

3. Step 7

   *Available at farmers markets.