Cullen Skink Soup

Cullen skink, one of Scotland’s most famous dishes, is a hearty soup traditionally made with smoked haddock. You can also use naturally smoked Finnan haddock (not dyed, though that is hard to find now) or, if you want the dish to look even prettier, a mixture of both.

The name of this soup comes from Cullen, a pretty small town in northeast Scotland. Skink is the Scottish term for a knuckle or shin of beef, so most soups made of these parts are called skink. When they were unable to find scraps of meat due to economic strains but had plenty of fish to cook with, and smoked haddock was found everywhere, meat stews transformed into fish-based soups, but the name skink stuck

In some versions of Cullen Skink, mashed potatoes add thickness and creaminess; in others, the potatoes are added in chunks. The best potatoes for my skink would be waxier than those traditionally used for mash, such as Charlotte. Waxy potatoes are often called salad potatoes.

Ingredients
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 600 ml milk
  • 15g parsley sprigs, leaves and stalks separated, plus extra leaves for garnish
  • 450g smoked haddock fillet ( or Finnan haddock, or a mixture of both) cut into generous chunks
  • 50g unsalted butter 
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 225g potatoes, cut into chunks
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Crusty bread for serving, optional
  1. Put the bay leaf, milk,  and  parsley sprigs (leaves and stalks separated) and the smoked haddock fillet into a large saucepan
  2. Bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a low simmer, about 3 minutes.    
  3. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside for 5 minutes so the herbs and haddock infuse their flavours into the milk.
  4. Remove the haddock from the milk with a slotted spatula. Set aside
  5. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the herbs
  6. In another large saucepan over medium-low heat, add 2 ounces (4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 medium onion (finely chopped). Then, cook this gently until the butter melts and the onions become translucent, for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the onion
  7. Flake the smoked haddock into bite-size chunks, discarding any bones. Add to the soup.
  8. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the chopped parsley and cook until the haddock is warmed through about 5 minutes. Don’t over-stir because the fish chunks might disintegrate.
  9. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be careful with the salt, as the fish will impart quite a salty flavour all on its own.
  10. Garnish the soup with the reserved parsley leaves and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with crusty bread, if desired

 

If you love this recipe take a look at more soup recipes