Cou-Cou and Flying Fish — Print Recipe

Cornmeal and okra porridge served with steamed flying fish in a tomato-based Creole sauce. Barbados's national dish.

Ingredients

300g fine yellow cornmeal
200g fresh okra, sliced into thin rounds
30g unsalted butter
1 litre water, divided
4 flying fish fillets (or sea bass fillets as substitute)
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Juice of 1 lime
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1 Bring 500ml of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced okra and boil for ten minutes until very soft and the liquid becomes thick and slimy. This okra slime is essential — it gives the cou-cou its characteristic smooth texture.
2 In a slow stream, gradually whisk the cornmeal into the remaining 500ml of cold water in a separate bowl to create a smooth slurry. This pre-mixing step prevents lumps from forming when the cornmeal meets the hot liquid.
3 Pour the cornmeal slurry into the pot of boiled okra, stirring vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon or traditional cou-cou stick. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring nonstop, for fifteen to twenty minutes until very thick and smooth.
4 Add the butter and a pinch of salt, stirring until the butter melts through. The cou-cou should pull cleanly away from the sides of the pot. Scoop it into a buttered bowl, shape it into a smooth dome, and invert onto a plate.
5 Season the fish fillets with lime juice, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Let them marinate for ten minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide skillet and saute the onion and garlic until softened and fragrant.
6 Add the chopped tomatoes and whole Scotch bonnet pepper to the skillet. Cook for five minutes until the tomatoes break down into a sauce. Nestle the seasoned fish fillets into the sauce, cover, and steam for twelve to fifteen minutes.
7 Carefully remove the Scotch bonnet before it bursts. Place the dome of cou-cou on each plate, lay a fish fillet alongside, and spoon the tomato-onion sauce generously over and around. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.