PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Fabricate and par-cook the carrots:

• Bring about 1 qt water to the boil in a small saucepan. Place a bowl of cold water near the stove.
• Blanch the carrots in the boiling water for about 3 minutes until a knife inserted in the wide ends meets just a little resistance.
• Blanch the carrots in the boiling water for about 3 minutes until a knife inserted in the wide ends meets just a little resistance.
• Transfer the carrots to the bowl of water and then place the bowl in the sink under a stream of cold water. Refresh for about 1 minute until the carrots are cold.
• Drain the carrots and blot dry on paper towels.
• If prepping ahead, place the carrots in a plastic bag with a folded paper towel in the bottom.

2. Mise the purée potatoes:

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a container and cover with cold water.

3. Mise the butter sauce:

• Wash the blood oranges thoroughly and pat them dry.
• Use a swivel peeler to shave off a large, very thin strip of zest from one of the oranges. (Take care not to include any of the underlying white pith, which has a bitter flavor.) Mince the zest and place it in a container.
• Halve the partially-zested orange and squeeze the juice into the container, taking care to remove any seeds. You should have about ⅓ c juice per serving.
• Reserve the other orange for garnish.
• Squeeze the lemon juice into the container, again removing any seeds.
• Mince the shallot and add it to the container.
• Add a pinch of salt to the container.
• Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes; if prepping ahead, store the cubes in a plastic bag.
• If using the optional crème fraîche or heavy cream, measure it into a separate small container.

4. Assemble the remaining ingredients.

HOLD: Refrigerate the fish up to 1 day or freeze it for longer holding; refrigerate all other ingredients up to 4 days.

5. Make the purée potatoes:

• Drain the potatoes, place them in a saucepot, add cold water to cover by ½ inch, and add the step 5 salt.
• Bring to a brisk simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes until a knife pierces a potato chunk with a little resistance. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes to a mushy texture.
• Pour most of the cooking water off of the potatoes, using a slotted spoon to hold them back and leaving about ½ inch water in the bottom of the pan.
• Add the butter to the potatoes. Use a handheld electric mixer to whip the potatoes into a purée. Take care not to over-mix. When the potatoes are smooth, whip in the half-and-half. The consistency should be soft, light, and fluffy, and substantially looser than mashed potatoes. (The potatoes will thicken a bit as they hold.)
• Evaluate the flavor and, if necessary, season with additional salt and optional white pepper.
• Cover the pan and hold on the back of the stove.

6. Fabricate the orange garnish:

• Cut one round orange slice per serving, making the slices about 3/16-inch thick.
• Use the tip of a paring knife to remove any seeds.

7. Mise the fish:

• Rinse the fish fillet and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Feel carefully for tiny pin bones and, if necessary, use kitchen tweezers to remove them.
• Cut the fillet crosswise into two pieces. Then cut each piece crosswise, keeping the two pieces together.
• Note the thickness in inches of the fillets at their widest parts.

8. Set up the carrots for reheating:

• Place the carrots in a microwave-safe dish, season with a little salt, and cover with plastic wrap.
• Place the carrots in the microwave oven until ready to reheat.

9. Make the sauce:

• Pour the sauce mixture into a small sauté pan, ensuring that all of the zest and shallots go into the pan. Place the pan over low heat and simmer about 1 minute until the sauce reduces to about 2 Tbsp per serving. Watch carefully to avoid scorching.
• Add the optional créme fraîche or heavy cream and reduce for a few seconds longer.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the cold butter, one or two cubes at a time, so that they emulsify into a creamy, homogenous sauce. Turn on low heat only if necessary to continue softening the butter, then turn it off. Don’t allow the sauce to become hot or it will “break” and the butterfat separate out of the liquid component.
• Evaluate the flavor and, if necessary, add more salt and/or lemon juice.
• Hold the sauce warm on the back of the stove; watch carefully so that it doesn’t overheat and “break,” or separate.

10. Place a large nonstick pan over low heat.

11. Pan-sear the fish and orange garnish:

• Choose a heavy, preferably carbon steel sauté pan slightly larger than needed to accommodate the fish fillets. Place the pan over high heat until hot.
• Squeeze in most of the step 11 oil and swirl to coat the pan bottom and slightly up the sides.
• Season the convex, non-shiny side of the split fish fillets with salt and place them, salted-side-down, in the pan. Use the “8 minutes per inch of thickness” guidelines in the lesson section of this post to determine total cooking time. Sauté undisturbed for the appropriate time and then turn over the fillets. Season the top of the fillets with salt and continue sautéing until the fillets are lightly cooked through.
• Transfer the fillets to a sizzle pan or small tray and hold hot.
• Squeeze a bit more oil into the pan and then place the orange slices in it. Sauté them for about 30 seconds on each side until then flesh is browned in some places and the rinds are slightly charred. Transfer to the sizzle pan, and then cut each orange slice in half.

12. Heat the carrots in the microwave oven for about 2 minutes until hot.

13. Wilt the spinach:

• Turn the heat under the nonstick pan to high and wait for it to get hot. Place a small bowl near the stove.
• Squeeze in a little of the step 13 oil and add half the spinach with a pinch of salt. Use tongs to constantly turn over and push down on the spinach just until it wilts. Transfer the spinach to the bowl.
• Repeat with the remaining spinach.
• When the second batch of spinach is wilted, return the first batch to the pan, leaving any liquid behind.
• Toss the batches together and drain off any liquid in the sauté pan.

14. Plate:

• Spoon a portion of potato purée in the center of each warmed dinner plate, and flatten it slightly.
• Mound a portion of spinach in the center of the potatoes on each plate.
• Place 2 pieces of fish fillet on top of the spinach, overlapping them.
• Arrange 2 carrots against the fish fillets on each plate, leaning against the potatoes with points toward the front of the plate.
• Place an orange slice upright between the fish pieces on each plate.
• Stir the sauce, and then spoon a portion across the fish pieces, allowing sauce to pool in the plate wells.