While I seem to have mastered salmon (at least some of the time), I can’t quite put my finger on the magic tilapia recipe. I’ve tried half a dozen by now, and though they’ve all turned out well, there’s not one I would work into my usual rotation.

This recipe from Bon Appetit ended up tasting good, even though I didn’t get the butter sauce exactly right. As you can see from my picture (left), the sauce ended up more of a dressing than a sauce. Perhaps it didn’t cool enough, or maybe it was my use of margarine instead of butter, but the “drizzle” turned out to be more of synchronized “splashes” of balsamic and butter.

As usual, I also got inpatient with the fish. When I can’t tell when it’s done on one side, I end up flipping it over and over just to make sure it’s browning enough. At some point during the gymnastics, the fish falls apart.

And even balsamic butter sauce can’t put it back together again.