Bajan Style Cod Loin and Cou Cou

This is our take on the Barbados national dish of Flying Fish and Cou-Cou, served with a cold glass of homemade Ginger Beer

We can't get Flying Fish in Hull (UK) so we chose, without much consideration, to go with Cod. I have since read that Tilapia makes a good substitue.

It's a bit like a tasty tomato soup and the herbs add a lot of flavour. If you're not big on tomato then halve the amount of tomato sauce used.

Cou-Cou is a starchy accompaniment with the main course. It is usually made with cornmeal which we don't get here in the UK. Having read up on it polenta is pretty much the same thing so that is what I have used here for this recipe.

Cou-Cou (serves 2)


Ingredients 

• 2 cups water
• 10 small okra, finely sliced
• 1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (tobasco)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound polenta

Method
1. Put the water, okra, red pepper, salt, and hot sauce in a large saucepan. While stiring bring to the boil and simmer until the water becomes gel like (like clear mucus).
 

2. Transfer half of the okra mixture to a bowl.

 

3. Add half (2 tablespoons) of the butter to the okra mixture in the saucepan, and reduce the heat to low. While stirring the mixture, sprinkle in the cornmeal a little at a time, and cook until thick.

 

4. Add the remaining okra mixture and the remaining butter and stir until smooth. Cover to keep warm.

Bajan Cod (serves 2)

• 500g Cod Loin- cut into 8 large chunks
• 3 tablespoons Bajan seasoning (see recipe below)
• Lime juice, (1 to 2 limes)
• Salt, (1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup water or fish stock
• 1/4 green pepper, sliced
• 1/4 yellow pepper, sliced
• 1/4 red pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs, like dill, chives, parsley, and thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

 Method

1. Rub the Bajan Green  over the fish and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the butter in a large large pan (with lid), over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaf and cook, stirring for about 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the ketchup, curry powder, mustard, and sugar and stir.

 

3. Add the fish to the pan and cover with the chopped peppers, tomatos, one tbsp of the herbs and al the hot sauce. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

 

4. Split the Cou-Cou between the plates serving it in the center of the plate, making a slight indentation in the centre of it. Now pour the fish and sauce over and around the Cou-Cou. Season with the remaining herbs and serve straight away, with a glass of iced ginger beer.

Bajan Seasoning

Having never made this before I wasn't sure how smooth it was supposed to be. I left it quite coarse and it was full of flavour.



Bajan Green Seasoning: Hot and Zingy.

 Ingredients

•  1 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 spring onions, white and green parts roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 red chili, seeds and stem removed (2 if you like it hot)
• 1 tbsp thyme, leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped marjoram
• 100 ml white wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juice only (2 if you like it zingy)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp groundblack pepper
• salt to taste (optional)

 Method

1. Very simply throw it all into the food processor and blitz it into a paste. First make a paste with the onions, garlic, chili - then add the herbs, vinegar and lime juice. Blitz it again. Then add the rest of the ingredients and give it one last blast.
2. It should be covered and refrigerated for at least a week to let the flavours really develop. If refrigeerated it will keep for upto six months.

 

Acknowledgements

The Cou Cou and Fish recipes were adapted from similar recipes found at  parlourmagazine.com. The Bajan Seasoning was taken from the Good Food Channel at uktv.co.uk.