White-fleshed fish is such an underappreciated ingredient.

Its ability to mate so well with so many diverse flavors — never mind the speed and ease with which it can be prepared — make it a natural for the weeknight kitchen.

For the minimalist, there is the simple drizzle of olive oil with a shake or two of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Or liven it up with a handful of chopped fresh herbs. Either way, the natural flavors of the fish will shine.

If fried is more your thing, but you'd rather skip the mess and fuss of oil, slather the fillets with a blend of equal parts mayonnaise and mustard, then dredge them through breadcrumbs and bake until crisp and flaky.

As for variety of fish, I've never been all that picky. Whatever is fresh works fine. But recently I've become enamored with tilapia, aka sunfish, which has become one of the darlings of the eco-seafood movement.

In addition to being low in mercury, tilapia usually is farmed in environmentally friendly (or at least friendlier) ways.

For this recipe, I wanted something fast enough for a weeknight dinner, yet impressive enough for guests. And while I wanted assertive flavors, I didn't want to lose the natural tastes and texture of the fish.

Rolling the fillets in thinly sliced prosciutto was the answer. The oven-crisped prosciutto (similar to bacon, but so much better) provides a nice contrast to the fish.

PROSCIUTTO-BAKED TILAPIA