Outer Banks, NC
Email Us: theouterbanker@gmail.com
Barbados....Love From Key Lime Cottage!!!
Cou Cou & Flying Fish Barbados National Dish
Bajan Dry Seasoning & Marinade Like I Bought on the Street In Barbados from A Local Woman
Cou Cou & Flying Fish... Now Let's Make It !!!!
INGREDIENTS:
For The Cou Cou
- 8oz corn meal
- 3oz okra
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 tbsp. butter
- Water
- Salt to taste
For the Flying Fish
- 8 Flying Fish (about 1 1/2 pounds) - scaled, boned, and butterflied
- 3 tablespoons Bajan seasoning (also called green seasoning)
- Lime juice, as needed
- Salt, as needed
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water or fish stock
- 1/4 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs, like dill, chives, parsley, and thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Important Note:
Flying fish are not a popular fish used for eating in our parts so I adapted this recipe to our region by using smaller blue fish, trout and smaller Spanish Mackerel. You can also use spot, croaker and sea mullet.
Cou Cou & Flying Fish... Now Let's Make It !!!!
Bajan Dry Seasoning & Marinade Like I Bought on the Street In Barbados from A Local Woman
Cou Cou & Flying Fish... Now Let's Make It !!!!
NOW LET'S MAKE IT !!!
The Cou Cou:
- In a large bowl combine the cornmeal with enough water to cover the cornmeal. Set aside.
- Cut off the tops of the Okra and slice into thin slices. Place in a saucepan with water, chopped onion and salt. Bring to medium boil until Okra has softened.
- Strain the Okra keeping the liquid separately.
- Add about a quarter of the okra liquid back into the pan and add the soaked corn meal. Use a wooden spoon (known in Barbados as a Cou Cou Stick ) to stir constantly in order to avoid lumping.
- Add more of the okra liquid gradually. When the Cou Cou starts to bubble gently at the surface add in the cooked okra slices and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
The Flying Fish:
- Rub the flesh side of the fish with the seasoning and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Roll each fish up tightly and secure with a toothpick.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaf and cook stirring until soft. Add the ketchup, curry, mustard, and sugar and stir.
- Add water. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Arrange the rolled fish in the skillet and cover with the bell peppers, tomato, herbs and hot sauce. Cover and simmer until the fish is just cooked through about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Spoon the fish and gravy over the top of the cou cou and enjoy!
Bajan Dry Seasoning & Marinade Like I Bought on the Street In Barbados from A Local Woman
Bajan Dry Seasoning & Marinade Like I Bought on the Street In Barbados from A Local Woman
Bajan Dry Seasoning & Marinade Like I Bought on the Street In Barbados from A Local Woman
Bajan Style Dry Seasoning Mix
You can buy this seasoning mix in Barbados from people selling on the side of the street or in their open air markets. I used it to grill lamb chops on a small charcoal grill overlooking the sea at our little cottage - Key Lime Cottage. You could snorkel right off the beach in knee deep water and see tropical fish galore!!! It was an amazing place to stay.
This Recipe Will Make About 8 Tablespoons:
3 tbsp chili powder (hot or mild)
2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp paprika powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp allspice berries
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ginger powder
2-3 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Grind the salt, peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves.
- Add to a bowl.
- Stir in the chili, onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon and paprika powders.
- Crumble in the dried parsley and thyme and stir again.
- Store In an Airtight Container!
This rub is used on Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Fish.
Bajan Style Maranade:
Chive
Eschalot
Thyme
Marjoram
Parsley
Onion
Garlic
Clove
Hot peppers
Sweet peppers
Black pepper
A little Sugar
A little Salt
Vinegar
Combine all of the above in a food processor or put into a jar and shake. Used on all meats & fish.
Jamaica...Don't Worry, Be Happy!!!
Yesss Mon.....
My father-n-law lived in Jamaica for many years after his retirement and we visited as much as possible. From our visit's we learned a lot about the Island and it's people! One of the things that I took away from those days was how to make authentic Jamaican food from real Jamaicans!!! These are NOT the recipes from the touristy resorts that are changed to accommodate the mainland visitors' pallets. These are the real deal - how the Islanders cooked and lived...their family recipes. Jamaican cuisine is a mixture of African and Indian influences with a bit of English thrown in. Every family has their own little secret ingredient but this is the way I learned to cook! I am here to share with you some of my favorites!!!!
Coming Soon Jerked Chicken & Curried Goat
Please check back as I post some of my recipes and more about our trips!!!