Description
Cullen Skink is a traditional Scottish smoked haddock soup that is rich, creamy, and packed with comforting flavors. This hearty recipe features tender smoked haddock, soft potatoes, and smooth onions in a luscious milk-based broth, perfect as a warming starter or satisfying main dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 25g butter
- 1 medium onion
- 400g potatoes
- 280g smoked haddock (approximately 2 fillets)
- 300ml whole milk (about 1 and 1/4 cups)
- 300ml boiling water (about 1 and 1/4 cups)
Optional Ingredients
- 1 fish stock cube
- Fresh parsley to garnish
- 2 tablespoons double cream
Instructions
- Prepare Fish and Milk: Put the milk and smoked haddock skin-up into one pan ensuring the milk covers the fish. Do not turn on the heat yet and allow the fish to soak.
- Prepare Vegetables: Finely chop the onion and peel and cube the potatoes.
- Sauté Onion: Add butter and chopped onion to a pan and fry for around 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.
- Cook Potatoes: Add the cubed potatoes to the pan with onions and fry for one minute then pour in 300ml of boiling water. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.
- Cook the Haddock: Gradually heat the milk with the haddock over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Heat for about 5 minutes until it begins to warm, then cook the fish gently for an additional 5 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove Haddock: Use a slotted spoon to remove the haddock from the milk and set the milk to one side. Allow the fish to cool slightly, then discard any skin or bones and flake the fish into large chunks with a fork.
- Mash Potatoes: In the pan with potatoes and onions, roughly mash about a quarter of the potatoes with a masher or fork to thicken the soup.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the reserved milk to the pan and stir gently to combine all flavors.
- Add Haddock and Season: Gently fold in the flaked haddock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish and Serve: Optionally add chopped parsley and double cream for richness. Serve hot, ideally with crusty bread.
Notes
- This soup can be served as a starter or a main course depending on the portion size.
- The smokiness of the haddock is key to the flavor, so use good quality smoked haddock fillets.
- You can substitute milk with half cream and half milk for a richer soup.
- Fresh parsley adds a nice bright contrast but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Adding a fish stock cube to the boiling water can enhance the depth of flavor, but it is optional.
- Serve with crusty bread or oatcakes for a traditional touch.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 623 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 1429 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 49 g
- Cholesterol: 168 mg
