Country 15: Barbados - Fish with Coucou

My partner thinks that this meal was the best overall so far. High praise from my biggest critic! (That's not true, I'm definitely my biggest critic but he's a close second).

Today's meal on Cook The World is the national dish of Barbados: fish with coucou.

Not the most aesthetic dish, but delicious!

Typically, the fish used is flying fish. Barbados is known as the Land of the Flying Fish - not because they're found exclusively around Barbados, but because the locals have mastered the art of deboning them. I didn't have any flying fish available so I used sea bass fillets instead which is the common alternative.

The seasoning ingredients ready to blend

Seasoning forming a paste-like substance

The seasoning infusing with the vinegar

Cooking coucou was a new experience for me. I had to find some cornmeal and originally all I could find were 2kg bags at my local grocery shop. Not knowing if I would be using cornmeal again for this project I was not keen on purchasing so much and kept looking until I found a tidy 500g bag of it instead. Much better.

Coucou is cornmeal that is cooked with butter, thyme, and okra. Okra is not something that I have cooked before and I am lucky to live in such a multicultural city where okra is readily sold in some shops. I actually bought my okra during my trip to Borough Market, and I was supposed to use it in my Bahamas meal but completely forgot! So it's been in my fridge for a wee while and it was definitely time to use it.

Making the coucou

Okra - a new ingredient for me!

I actually thought this dish was pretty great. The coucou by itself wasn't the most delicious thing I've ever eaten but paired with the sauce which was rich and buttery, and the subtlety of the fish, and the spice of the seasoning... it all came together beautifully. One thing I've definitely learned from this project is that you have to put every element of the dish into your mouth at the same time, otherwise you don't get the full impact of each thing coming together. For this dish, the seasoning was far too spicy by itself, the coucou too boring, the fish too subtle, and the sauce too rich. All together though, they were a match made in heaven.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, most of it is the same ingredient repeated (onion, garlic, thyme, lime juice - you'll use these multiple times throughout so don't start putting them away!)

The sauce simmering away

A word of warning: the seasoning of this dish is SPICY. I couldn't handle it. My partner loved it but I had to scrape mine off almost immediately after tasting the first mouthful. Far too much heat for me. With this in mind, I would absolutely recommend people who can't eat a lot of spice to just use a regular chilli pepper rather than a scotch bonnet. Or if you have a scotch bonnet then use half or quarter the amount. You have been warned. It's hot.

Bajan Fish with Coucou
Serves 2

For the fish:

• 2 fillets of flying fish (or sea bass if it's easier)
• Juice of half a lime
• Salt and pepper

For the seasoning:

• 1/2 onion
• 1 1/1 spring onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 1/2 scotch bonnet chilli (or less if you prefer less heat!)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme 
• 1/2 lime - juice only
• 50mL vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar and it was great)
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

• 1/2 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 tomato
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 50g butter
• Salt and pepper

For the coucou:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup water
• 4 okra, chopped
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Make the seasoning about two hours before cooking everything else to let the flavours infuse. Combine all the ingredients except the vinegar in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Put the mix into a sealable jar or container and add the vinegar. Shake well and season to preference. Set aside for two hours. 
2. Season fish with lime, salt and pepper.
3. Put the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add one tablespoon of the seasoning you made earlier.
4. Soak the cornmeal in a cup of water for about 5 minutes.
5. In a separate pan on a high heat, combine the ingredients for the coucou, except the cornmeal and butter. Once cooked, strain the mixture but keep the liquid in a separate bowl. Remove the okra and set aside to use later. Put the pan back onto the heat, reducing the heat to low, and add the cornmeal and butter, mixing well until you form a thick mixture. Check the back of your cornmeal packet to see how long it needs to cook (mine took about 20 minutes). Stir regularly to prevent the coucou from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the reserved liquid if it becomes too dry. Add in the okra at the end and mix together.
6. Pan fry the fish over a high heat, skin-side down, for about 5-7 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Flip and fry other side for another 2 minutes. 
7. Serve it up! Put some coucou onto a plate, top with fish, sauce and seasoning. Enjoy!