Scottish recipes - Cullen Skink

Cullen Skink

Cullen what?

Cullen Skink

If you are not Scottish you will think this is the weirdest name for any food, ever !!

But bear with me and wait until you try this wonderful recipe and you will forgive the strange name

Cullen Skink is in fact a soup

It is a soup made with smoked haddock (finnan haddie) and potatoes

It can even be mistaken as a stew if you don't blend or mash the ingredients all the way down, which is fine by me, I like it that way

Some say it can be compared to Chowder here in the USA but really Cullen Skink has a more smokey, creamy flavor, due to the smoked haddock which is a meaty, mild, smokey fish. Try not to buy the fake dyed yellow fish, a natural smoked haddock is best

Cullen Skink, for me as a kid was considered an "adult" soup. Is there such a thing? I don't know

But it reminds me of the kind of soup my Dad would have, like Game soup for instance, all adult in nature and flavor, but really this soup is a great family soup, loved by kids and adults alike

It is hearty and filling and wonderful on a cold autumn evening with some crusty bread



Makes a large pot of soup

You will need

2 large pieces of Smoked haddock (about 1lb/450g)
knob of butter
2 medium onions (chopped)
4 medium potatoes (un peeled, chopped into cubes)
1 leak (chopped)
1 pint of whole milk
Black pepper and salt to taste

smoked haddock

potatoes, onion and leak

• Put fish in a large saucepan, cover with cold water

smoked haddock

• Bring fish to boil and turn off, leave in water until cooked through, leave to side

• in a large soup pot, melt butter and add chopped onions and leaks, let sweat on a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft

leaks and onion

leaks and onion

• Meanwhile, take fish from liquid, place on a plate and remove any skin and bones, break the fish into flakes (keep fish liquid to side)

cooked smoked haddock

flaked smoked haddock

• Add chopped un peeled potatoes to the onion and leaks and stir to cover in butter, pour in the fish liquid, stir well

potatoes

Pots and leaks

• Cook on a medium heat until the potatoes are tender 

• Once potatoes are ready, lift out a few spoonfuls of the potatoes, leaks and onions and set aside (only do this if you like a chunky soup)

Pots and leaks

• Add the milk to the pot, with half of the haddock and using a potato masher, mash the soup to thicken

Cullen Skink

• Add the rest of the haddock and the chucks of veg back into the pot and stir, add oodles of salt and pepper to taste

Cullen Skink

• Serve with crusty bread or oatcakes

Cullen Skink

Enjoy, my Scottish chums

Angela 

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