This is a nice dish for summer, when zucchini is abundant and the fingerlings are delicate

　　

Ingredients

A whole bass, 1 1/4–1 1/2 pounds

　　Salt

　　Olive oil

　　3 or 4 small fingerling potatoes

　　1 small-to-medium zucchini

　　Freshly ground pepper

　　2 scallions, chopped

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley mixed with other fresh herbs, such as dill or tarragon

　　Juice of 1 lemon

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°.

　　

Step 2

Rinse and dry the fish, and rub some salt and olive oil over it. Peel the fingerlings, and cut lengthwise into quarters. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, and then into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the potatoes and zucchini in a little olive oil, and salt and pepper them lightly. Spread them out on the bottom of an oval baking dish big enough to hold the fish. Fill the cavity of the bass with the scallions and herbs, sprinkle a little lemon juice and salt over it, and lay the fish on top of the vegetables. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the flesh of the bass is opaque.

　　

Second Round Suggestions

Step 3

You’re bound to have some leftover fish, so make some Fish Cakes (page 68) later in the week, or use the fish in a summery salad (see page 157).

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.