Barbadian · main

Cou-Cou and Flying Fish

Cou-Cou and Flying Fish reads sourness 6.0, citrus 5.9 and richness 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Barbadian main, about 1 hr 37 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.8 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 7.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.0 · Citrus 5.9 · Richness 4.7 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.2 · Heat 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Fruity 2.3 · Umami 1.8 · Sweetness 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Earthy 1.5 · Marine & Briny 1.2 · Floral 1.2 · Bitterness 1.0 · Nutty 0.9

What's in it (15)

• cornmeal — 300 g
• okra — 200 g
• water — 1200 g
• salt — 10 g
• unsalted butter — 45 g
• flying fish — 600 g
• lime juice — 60 g
• bajan seasoning — 60 g
• oil — 28 g
• onion — 150 g
• tomatoes — 400 g
• fresh thyme — 6 g
• scotch bonnet chillies — 5 g
• water — 250 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 37 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 48 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 2.2 g fat, 8.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. The national dish of Barbados, and the two halves are equally load-bearing. Cou-cou is cornmeal cooked with okra until it is smooth and gluey enough to be moulded; the flying fish is steamed in a tomato gravy. Flying fish are sold frozen and pre-filleted at Caribbean fishmongers and increasingly online — they are small, sweet and delicate, and if you genuinely cannot get them, small mackerel or sole fillets will take the same treatment, but the dish will not be the national dish.
2. Wash the fillets in the lime juice and drain them, about 5 minutes.
3. Smear Bajan seasoning inside each fillet and roll it up from the tail, securing with a cocktail stick, then rest 30 minutes. Bajan seasoning is a green herb paste — the Barbadian equivalent of what other islands call green seasoning — and its signature herb is marjoram, which the Trinidadian version does not use.
4. Boil the sliced okra in the 1.2 litres of water with 1 teaspoon of the salt for about 12 minutes, until it is very soft and the water has turned slippery. Reserve about 500 ml of that water separately and leave the okra in the pot.
5. Rain the cornmeal into the okra pot in a slow stream with one hand while turning constantly with the other, using a cou-cou stick or a flat wooden spatula. Keep turning and folding it against the side of the pot for 25 minutes over medium heat, adding the reserved okra water a ladle at a time whenever it stiffens. It is done when it pulls cleanly away from the sides in one mass and there is no raw cornmeal taste.
6. Meanwhile, cook the sliced onion in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes, thyme, the whole unbroken scotch bonnet, the gravy water, the remaining salt and the black pepper and simmer 8 minutes into a loose gravy.
8. Lay the rolled fish in the gravy, cover, and steam over low heat for 12 minutes until the flesh is opaque and just firm. Remove the pepper whole.
9. Swab a small bowl with the butter, pack it with hot cou-cou, and turn it out onto the plate as a smooth dome. Lay the fish alongside and spoon the gravy over both.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Ceviche Mexicana — Mexican
• Kachumbari (Tomato and Red Onion Salad) — Kenyan
• Moroccan Tomato Soup — Moroccan
• Azifa (Green Lentil Salad) — Ethiopian
• Guacamole — Mexican

Keep reading: what sourness, citrus, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.