BAKED CHILEAN SEA BASS WITH CHIVE OIL (for four)

¼ cup sliced chives (1 inch long pieces)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sprinkling on fish

coarse sea salt or kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds Chilean sea bass, cut from the thickest part of the fillet, at room temperature

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1.  Preheat the oven to 400*.  Place the chives in a food processor.  Turn on the processor and add the olive oil through the feed tube in a thin steady stream.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stop to taste, then adjust, adding more oil, chives, salt or pepper as desired.  Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and reserve.

2.  Place the sea bass in a saute pan or roasting pan just large enough to fit the fillets.  Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven and roast until the fish is just barely cooked in the center.  It will continue to cook once it is removed from the oven.  (It should take about 9 minutes per inch of thickness.)

3.  Transfer the sea bass to serving plates and sprinkle with the chive oil.

from the New York Times, March 3, 2002