Thick White-Fleshed Fish Fillets with Avocado Salad and Warm Mustard Vinaigrette

This is the fanciest dish in this category, worthy of dinner-party fare. Don’t salt the avocado salad; it will weep too much. Instead, let the vinaigrette carry the salt. You can also use bass fillets for this dish—if so, roast them skin side down.

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Four 4- to 6-ounce thick white-fleshed fish fillets, such as grouper or halibut

1⁄4 cup olive oil

20 cherry tomatoes, quartered

The supremes from 2 large navel oranges

1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons grainy or coarse-ground mustard

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Whisk the fl our and pepper on a serving plate or in a shallow soup bowl.
• Pat the fillets dry with paper towels; dredge them in the fl our mixture, coating evenly but shaking off the excess.
• Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, then slip the fillets into the pan. Shake the pan several times to make sure they haven’t stuck, then place it in the oven and roast until the thick, opaque layers can be easily pulled apart with a fork, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, orange supremes, avocado, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Divide among four serving plates, mounding to the center.
• When the fillets are done, transfer them to the plates, setting them atop the avocado salad.
• Set the same skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape up any browned bits in the pan, then whisk in the vinegar, mustard, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then spoon over the fillets.

Makes 4 servings