Traditional Recipe
A large smoked haddock (weighing around 2 lb)
1 medium onion, finely chopped.
1½ pints (900ml) milk
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz mashed potato
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
Chopped parsley
Water
Cover the smoked haddock with water, in a shallow pan, skin side down. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4/5 minutes, turning once. Take the haddock from the pan and remove the skin and bones. Break up the fish into flakes, return to the stock and add the chopped onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Strain, remove the bay leaf but retain the stock and fish. Add the milk to the fish stock and bring back to the boil. Add enough mashed potato to create the consistency you prefer (don't be afraid to make it rich and thick!). Add the fish and reheat. Check for seasoning. Just before serving, add the butter in small pieces so that it runs through the soup.
Serve with chopped parsley on top, accompanied by triangles of toast.
Recipe taken from Rampant Scotland
Modern Take
Cullen Skink
30g/1oz butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ savoy cabbage, shredded
splash white wine
500ml/17fl oz vegetable stock
110ml/4fl oz cream
1 smoked haddock fillet, chopped
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the cabbage and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the splash of wine and stir well to collect the cooking juices.
Pour in the stock and cream.
Add the haddock and allow the soup to simmer for 6 minutes.
Recipe from BBC Food
What is it?
According to the British Food Trust:
"This is another famous soup from Scotland. Its classic combination of Finnan haddock and potatoes gives a great filling soup. 'Skink' refers to stock or broth but because the fish is so flavoursome, water and milk can be used rather than fish stock. Cullen is the village on the coast of the Moray Firth (Scotland) where the recipe originated and is served in a number of the eating establishments there still."