Cullen Skink

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Cullen Skink is a comforting, creamy, luscious, thick Scottish soup loaded with un-dyed smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. It hails from Cullen, a fishing town on the Moray Firth, in north east Scotland.

It can be served as a starter, a lunch or a light supper. I like mine with a good grinding of black pepper and some chopped parsley. Delicious with bread on the side, I served it with some Irish Soda bread, fresh from the oven.

Traditionally, Cullen Skink was made with Finnan Haddie, or Finnan Haddock; this is haddock cold-smoked over green wood and peat. However any smoked haddock can be used, preferably un-dyed, as this does not affect the colour of the soup.

This recipe, adapted from Nick Nairn, uses Abroath Smokies, a type of smoked haddock from Arbroath, on the east coast of Scotland. The haddock is salted, dried and then smoked in a barrel covered with wet jute sacks. This creates thick smoke and an intensely hot and humid atmosphere from which the smokies get their distinctive flavour. It has been prepared in the same way since the late 1800s.

Many would argue that this intense flavour is too over-powering for Cullen Skink. We love this smokiness but if I cannot get hold of Arbroath Smokies, I have also made it with smoked haddock from my fishmonger. Both are extremely delicious.

Nick Nairn is the youngest Scottish chef to win a Michelin star, way back in 1991. He has owned successful restaurants and cookery schools, taken part in numerous cooking shows on television, is an advocate of healthy eating and has written many popular cookery books. If Nick Nairn uses Arbroath Smokies, who am I to argue?

How to make Cullen Skink

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the stock:

• olive oil
• unsalted butter
• white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• leek, cleaned, trimmed, cleaned and roughly chopped
• dry white wine
• cold water
• smoked un-dyed haddock (Arbroath Smokies)
• fine salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• unsalted butter
• white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• cloves of garlic, crushed
• leek, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
• floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into small cubes
• double/heavy cream
• milk
• fine salt
• freshly ground black pepper

First make the stock:

1. Heat the oil and butter on a moderate heat, add the vegetables and stir well. Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and sauté for 15 minutes. Stir from time to time. You are aiming to soften the vegetables, not colour them. If they start colouring turn the heat down straight away.
2. Take the lid off, add the wine and boil for 1 minute.
3. Add the water, fish and seasoning and bring to a gentle simmer on a low heat. Skim any scum from the surface of the liquid, put the lid on, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the fish from the stock and then strain the liquid. Set the fish aside but throw away the vegetables.

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Make the soup:

1. Remove any fat rising to the surface of the stock.
2. Prepare the onion, garlic and leeks – peel trim and finely chop the onion and leeks and peel and crush the garlic. Heat the butter on a moderate heat, add the vegetables and stir well. Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and sauté for 15 minutes. Stir from time to time. You are aiming to soften the vegetables, not colour them. If they start colouring turn the heat down straight away.
3. As the onion and leek cook, peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes.
4. Add the potatoes and the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid on, until the potatoes are tender – around 5 – 10 minutes, depending on the size and type of the potatoes.
5. As the potatoes cook, remove the skin and bones (if there are any) from the haddock and flake the flesh. Add the fish to the soup with the cream and milk.
6. Bring to a simmer to ensure everything is hot. Taste and adjust seasoning. You may need additional salt and pepper

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Made this recipe?

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