Cullen Skink

 

Cullen Skink, a wonderful Scottish starter, is a delicious thick soup made up of potatoes, onions and smoked Finnan haddie (marine fish), having its origin in Finnan or Findon, located near Aberdeen, Scotland. Though, there are various variations of Cullen Skink in terms of ingredients used in preparing the soup, the basic three ingredients viz, potato, onions and haddock, remain the same in all the variations.

 

Cullen Skink recipe is very simple, and is less time consuming. The dish is present on the menu card of almost all Scottish restaurants. The soup is considered to be an ideal soup in winters and is extremely filling and rich.

 

Cullen Skink is considered to be a specialty of Cullen town in Moray, situated on Scotland’s north east coast, and is habitually served as starter on formal dinner parties in Scotland. As the name of the dish implies, the first word has been derived from Cullen town. The word “skink” has been derived from schenke "shin, Hough" in Middle Dutch.  

 

Cullen Skink Recipe – Ingredients

The ingredients which are suggested to prepare Cullen skink comprise chopped smoked haddock fillets, butter, chopped boiled potatoes, double cream, milk, chopped onions, chopped leek, chopped parsley, pepper and salt. Health conscious people may make use of less fat cream while preparing the Scottish soup.

 

Cullen Skink Recipe – Preparation

Preparation of Cullen Skink soup is quite simple and quick, where chopped leek and onions are added to melted butter in a pan, fried for some time, followed by addition of milk, cream, chopped smoked haddock, chopped boiled potatoes, pepper and salt. It is recommended not to over season the soup, as haddock is naturally strongly flavored. The prepared soup is garnished with parsley and served hot.

 

Tip:It is suggested to cook smoked haddock in a very gentle way, so that the fish does not break in the midst of cooking. Also, the Cullen Skink soup should be served hot as soon as it is cooked.

 

Cullen Skink Recipe- Accompaniments

Toasted triangular bread and warm-crusty bread, both make perfect accompaniments for Cullen stink.