For all the new tilapia haters out there who pointed to the recent "discoveries," please read this:http://www.aboutseafood.com/press/media-blog/sensational-tilapia-story-begins-unravel
and put it back into persepctive.
So, putting aside all the tilapia haters' comments, I generally apply a little olive oil to the fish and gently shake it in a bag with cajun spices, then grill it. Sometimes, I will do the same as above, but then give it a grated parmesan coating and pan fry in oil. And sometimes when using either of the previous methods, I will make a cream based sauce with some of the spices in it to give some layering to it.
I have also cut tilapia into slices, dipped into cream (which I seasoned with pepper), then beer batter, and then deep fried. And the same method, I cut into smaller pieces to make a sort of popcorn tilapia.
what ever you add to the fish, that's the flavor the tilapia will take, since tilapia is mild (but not "tasteless").
I often find it funny when people say something is "tasteless." tastelss? really? because water has taste to it. Bland might be a better word than tasteless, but tilapia is not really bland, it's simply very mild - which is why it's attractive to people who don't like "fishy" or strong flavored fish, but want to eat fish to be healthy (and tilapia, despite the rantings of one journalist - is healthy). The mildness can easily be enhanced by adding your favorite spices and/or sauces.