Name: Cullen skink
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: handful of parsley; salt; a few thyme sprigs; 1 tsp fennel seeds; ½ lemon; ½ head of celery; 2 onions; 2 leeks; 1 bay leaf; 1 small floury potato, about 200 g, peeled and roughly chopped; 1 large leek, trimmed, roughly chopped and well rinsed; 2 kg white fish bones/trimmings; 1 tbsp chopped parsley; 4 tbsp double cream; 300 g fillets of undyed smoked haddock; good knob of butter; 20 black peppercorns

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Fish etc.

By Mark Hix

Published 2004

About

Cullen is the village on the Moray Firth where this classic Scottish soup originated, and ‘skink’ is an ancient word for a broth or soup. Traditionally the soup wouldn’t have the added cream or parsley, and some modern variations even include bacon and other such heresies. This soup is substantial enough to be served as a main course or brunch dish. Avoid the yellow-dyed smoked haddock and buy the lighter-coloured natural fillets or Arbroath smokies, which are on the bone. If you haven’t ti