Description
Cullen Skink is a traditional Scottish creamy smoked haddock soup originating from the fishing village of Cullen. This recipe combines gently poached smoked haddock with potatoes, onions or leeks, and parsley, all cooked in semi-skimmed milk for a healthy yet comforting chowder-like dish. The soup is partially blended for a thick, chunky texture and seasoned simply with freshly cracked pepper, making it rich in smoky flavor but light in fat.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) smoked haddock (1 large fillet, preferably Finnan Haddie)
- 1 litre (1.5 pints / 4 ¼ cups) semi-skimmed milk (or ½ whole milk / ½ water)
- 1 bay leaf
- Few stalks parsley (reserve leaves for garnish)
- 1 large onion (or optional leek, white part only), finely chopped
- 500 g (2-3) potatoes
- ½ tbsp fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
- Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Poach the Haddock: In a large saucepan, combine the smoked haddock, bay leaf, and parsley stalks. Pour over the milk, cover, and gently poach over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the fish to avoid a rubbery texture.
- Cook Vegetables: Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Add chopped potatoes and onion (or leek) to the pan. Cover and simmer gently until vegetables are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare Haddock: Once cooled, remove the skin from the smoked haddock and flake the fish with your fingers, removing any bones carefully.
- Blend Soup: Remove the bay leaf and parsley stalks from the pan. Use a hand blender to partially blend the soup to your desired chunkiness; alternatively, blend half the soup in a liquidiser or food processor to thicken. This retains some potato chunks for texture.
- Combine and Heat: Stir in a few turns of freshly cracked pepper, the flaked haddock, and chopped parsley leaves. Gently warm the soup through. Add salt only if needed, considering the smokiness of the fish provides saltiness.
Notes
- Traditional Cullen Skink is a hearty, creamy soup that is similar to a chowder but uses milk instead of cream in this recipe for a lighter version.
- You can substitute onion with leek for a milder flavor.
- Use Finnan Haddie for the authentic smoky flavor; if unavailable, any quality smoked haddock will suffice.
- Be careful not to overcook the fish to maintain its texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 190 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
