Description
Traditional Scottish Cullen Skink is a creamy, comforting smoked haddock soup made with infused milk, onions, mashed potatoes, and fresh parsley. This hearty soup is simple to prepare and full of rich, smoky flavors, perfect as a warming starter or light main dish served with crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup parsley sprigs, leaves and stalks separated, more leaves for garnish
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound smoked haddock fillet, preferably not dyed
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 8 ounces store-bought or homemade mashed potato (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Crusty bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Gather all the ingredients needed for the recipe, including milk, parsley, bay leaf, smoked haddock, butter, onion, mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, and optional crusty bread.
- Infuse Milk: In a large saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups milk, parsley stalks, bay leaf, and smoked haddock fillet. Bring the milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Rest Infusion: Remove the pan from heat and let the ingredients infuse in the milk for 5 minutes to develop smoky and herbal flavors.
- Remove Haddock and Strain: Use a slotted spatula to remove the haddock from the milk and set aside. Strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer, discarding bay leaf and parsley stalks.
- Sauté Onion: In another large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 2 ounces of unsalted butter. Add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes until translucent, taking care not to burn the onion.
- Add Infused Milk and Potatoes: Pour the infused milk into the saucepan with the onions. Add the mashed potatoes and stir until the potatoes dissolve into the soup, thickening it slightly.
- Flake Haddock: Flake the reserved smoked haddock into bite-sized pieces, removing any bones. Add the flaked fish to the soup mixture.
- Simmer Soup: Lower heat to a gentle simmer. Add the chopped parsley leaves and cook for about 5 minutes until the haddock is warmed through and flavors meld, being careful not to over-stir to avoid breaking up the fish chunks.
- Season and Garnish: Season the soup carefully with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, keeping in mind the smoked fish is naturally salty. Garnish with the reserved parsley leaves and additional black pepper.
- Serve: Serve the Cullen Skink hot, optionally with crusty bread on the side to soak up the delicious soup.
Notes
- Be careful with the salt, as smoked haddock is already quite salty.
- Do not over-stir the soup once the fish has been added to prevent it from breaking apart.
- Using unsalted butter controls the saltiness better.
- Crusty bread makes an excellent accompaniment to this rich soup.
- For a creamier texture, you may add a splash of cream if desired, but it is optional.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
