Cou-cou is prepared and served as a side dish along with Fried Flying Fish. The okras ingredients really make the difference! Don’t forget to wash all this great food down with a tall glass of Banks beer.

Barbadian national dish is prepared by any cooking method. The variation of this wonderful dish incorporates special Bajan Seasonings. Another optional spice is Curry Seasoning. It the perfect substitute for flavoring dishes like fish, chicken, pork, goat, lamb, shrimp, or conch.

One of the delights of traveling abroad to Barbados is that it gives you the chance to try a large selection of unigue and different dishes as well as experiencing a wonderful dining setting.

Recipe

Coucou & Flying Fish

Ingredients

1/2 pt. cold water
1 tsp salt
1 stick of butter
4 okras, thinly sliced
1 pt. boiling water
1/2 pt. corn meal

For Flying Fish

1 tbsp salt
1 cup water
2 fresh limes juiced
6 flying fish, filleted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fry oil
1 bunch thyme and majoram (like oregano),
chopped very fine
1 bunch fresh green celery, chopped
very fine
1 onion, chopped very fine

Instructions
Preparation of cou cou
Cook the okras in the boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. While they are cooking, mix the corn meal and cold water to a smooth paste. When the okras are soft, lower the heat, add salt and wet corn meal, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until mixture becomes fairly stiff.

When the mixture breaks away cleanly from the pan (i.e it does not stick), the cou cou is ready. Butter a bowl, turn the mixture into the bowl, shaking it into the shape of the bowl, then turn it out into a serving dish. With the back of a spoon, make an indentation in the top and place a stick of butter in it.

Flying Fish Preparation
Mix lime juice, salt and water, and put the fish to soak in this mixture for 15 minutes. Remove and dry. Mix together the seasonings and onion and then place in the spaces from which the fish bones have been removed, Press in very firmly.

Dip each fish into the egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil placing each fish face down first. Cook for a few minutes on each side until lightly brown. Do not overcook.

The fish should be moist and flaky Note:If the fish was packaged with the skin of one next to the flesh of another, before seasoning, take a knife and run it along the skin firmly. This will remove any oil that may give the fish an unpleasant taste.