Barbados

 Welcome to Barbados!  The pictures make the place look like paradise.  I've always wanted to go to the Caribbean, but am afraid to do so because of the humidity and heat combination!  Barbados has an average daily temperature of 75-90 degrees year around.  Doesn't sound too bad, but I can imagine with the humidity, it will feel much warmer!  The island itself is 21 miles long and 14 miles wide - pretty small!  According to Google, Barbados has a population of 287,025 and the capital is Bridgetown.  Their national dish is...

Cou-Cou!

You sound a little cuckoo when you say it...But it is okra and corn meal.  Not much to it!  But it is traditionally served with creole sauce and flying fish.  The Pacific Northwest was out of flying fish, so I opted for rockfish.  The legend says that if a husband finds lumps in his wife's Cou-Cou, he can throw her out of the house!  It was a fairly simple meal to make; the tricky part was timing it so everything was done at the same time.  I suggest making the creole sauce, let it simmer while you make the Cou-Cou and fish.  Here's what I did:

CREOLE SAUCE
3 tbsp avocado oil

1 onion, cut into thin strips

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 green peppers, cut into thin strips

1 tablespoon Bajan seasoning

4 Roma tomatoes, quartered then cut in half

1 tsp sugar

1/2 C stock

1 tbsp Bajan Pepper Sauce 

4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in frying pan.
2. Fry onions, garlic and peppers for 1 minute.
3. Add Bajan seasoning, tomatoes, sugar, stock and pepper sauce.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 -20 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley.

(Source: Creole Sauce)

 

COU-COU

4 C water
1 package frozen chopped okra, thawed

8 oz FINE corn meal

Salt, to taste

1. Pour 3 cups water into a pot, add the okra and salt, bring to the boil and remove from the heat.
2. Strain the okra into a small bowl and reserve the water in a separate bowl.
3. Place a small pot over low heat, add the corn meal with one cup of reserved water to soften, whisking mixture until it is completely combined.
4. Reduce the heat and continue beating with a whisk until it begins to thicken. 
5. Gradually add the rest of the water from the okra, whisking to incorporate.
6. Serve with fish and creole sauce.

(Source: Cou-Cou)

BAJAN FRIED FISH

1 lb rockfish

2 limes

2 tbsp of salt

6 oz Bajan seasoning

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 C gluten free flour

2 C oil, for frying

1. Place the fish in a shallow container and cover with water.
2. Add the squeezed lime and salt and soak for 5 minutes then remove and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Dip the fish in eggs and lightly coat with the flour, shaking off excess.
4. Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
5. Serve with the creole sauce and Cou-Cou!

(Source: Bajan Fried Fish)

 

The verdict?  Delicious.  Well, the fish and the creole sauce were delicious.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Cou-Cou.  It did, however, take some of the bite out of the creole sauce.  That Bajan pepper sauce has a KICK!  Handsome Husband loved the breading on the fish.  I will admit, it was quite delicious.  I think the sauce would have been good on eggs, in a burrito, or with chicken.  We didn't save it to try it, but if you make it, let me know how those things taste with the sauce!

ME

Taste of Creole Sauce (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 5

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Creole Sauce (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable):4

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):7

 

ME

Taste of Cou-Cou (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 4

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 3

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Cou-Cou (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):3

 

ME

Taste of Bajan Fried Fish (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Bajan Fried Fish (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):6

 

Join us next time in Lebanon!