Our local grocer offered tilapia for $2.50 per pound, and I bought some home.  The Beauty Queen, however, had heard tilapia was jam-packed with a dangerous type of fat.  Her sources said the fish should be avoided. 
That did not agree with the nutritional labels on the product.  Good ol’ catfish carried double the fat level of tilapia and our beloved salmon had 500% more fat.
I was confused, but things were about to get stranger. 
A 2008 report from Wake Forest University suggested we’d be better off eating bacon than tilapia.
How could THAT possibly be true? – the level of protein in tilipia is 2500 times higher than that of bacon, and carries just 3% of the fat.  
How could this poor fish be so evil?
What’s a country boy to believe?
Thank goodness for Nutritionist Monica Reinagel, M.S., LD/N, writing for Nutritiondata.com; she addressed the confusing data and put it in good perspective.   You can read the article yourself, but here’s the upshot: 
For those intending to eat fish regularly for the benefits of Omega 3 oils, tilapia is a poor choice.  Tilapia does have some Omega 3, but is actually higher in Omega 6 fats.  These fats tend to be “inflamatory” fats, so those with rhuematism, asthma, heart, or other similar diseases will indeed find tilapia to be more inflamatory than bacon.  A careful reading will confirm that this is exactly what the Wake Forest study said.

Now, is tilapia really more fattening than bacon?  No one said that.   Tilapia’s fat content is less than 3 grams, while bacon is over 100 grams.  Tilapia is a superb source of protein, lower in fat - overall - than most fish at the grocery store.  The fish was once called “St. Peter’s fish,” because it was the fish provided by Jesus where Peter found coins to pay the “Drachma Tax” (Mt. 17).   
  
However, if – as Monica says - ”you’re eating a lot of farmed tilapia and catfish (in an attempt to reduce your risk of heart disease)  there are other fish that are better choices, such as wild salmon, farmed trout, haddock, cod, halibut, and flounder.”  If you need further research, ”Agribusiness Weekly” reported the very same thing.

For the few still reading, let me cut to the chase: it’s precisely the Omega 6 characteristics that cause tilapia to be a favorite of chefs all over the world; the fish responds beautifully to a good marinade.  Since Omega 6 is an absorbent fat, let it absorb healthy, tasty stuff!    Here’s my olive oil-vinegar-lemon-juice based marinade, borrowed from the Britain’s Foodnetwork.  
Bottom line: I’ll grill tonight with a clear conscience.

2 garlic clove
0.5 cup fresh parsley
0.5 lemons
0.75 cup olive oil
0.25 cup red wine
0.25 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
0.5 teaspoon black pepper
2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Blessings, Philbin of the Midwest
Man with a License to Grill

Lacking formal cooking training, I’ve shamelessly tormented various chefs for their “secret” marinades.  Drawing patterns from that input, here’s my Basic Marinade.  Chicken, beef and pork all respond well to it:

Thronetogether Basic Marinade
1/3 cup brown sugar – (Browns/carmelizes the meat)
1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce – (pork/fermented anchovy flavor with high acidity)
1/3 cup Soy Sauce – (Warm salty flavor “battles” the sharp edge of the Worcestershire sauce)
(Optional: garlic/burgundy)

There’s an idea circulating that marinades require 24-hours in the fridge.  Yuck.  If the marinade is good, a couple of hours is just fine.  After 24 hours – my opinion – a marinade overwhelms the subtle characteristics of the meat.  Chicken might be an exception, because it has no subtle characteristics.
I’ve learned that other flavors are wonderful, too.  Coffee is a flavor enhancer that cooperates well with various meats.  Citrus and sugar.  Various salty, herbal and smoky influences are great.  With those thoughts in mind, I offer Phil’s “First Day of Summer” Simple Marinade:

Thronetogether Summer Simple Marinade:
1/3 cup brewed coffee
1/3 cup Sprite or 7up, fresh or flat
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Jane’s “mixed Up salt”
1 tbsp liquid smoke

A package of Aldi’s pork chops were subjected – for two hours – to this brutal treatment, and the results were legendary.  Note: When I grill, I always throw a few bratwurst sausages on the side.  Life is fleeting – remember the brats.

Blessings, Phil