Cullen Skink
Named for the Moray fishing village of Cullen, this is a smoked haddock chowder of extraordinary simplicity — fish, potato, onion, milk — that tastes of the North Sea and a peat fire.
Ingredients
500 g undyed smoked haddock fillet
500 ml whole milk
300 ml cold water
1 bay leaf
40 g salted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
500 g floury potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 tbsp double cream (optional)
Method
- 1
Bring the milk, water and bay leaf to a bare simmer in a wide pan. Slide in the haddock, cover, and poach very gently for 4–5 minutes. Lift out, flake into big pieces, discarding skin and bones. Reserve the poaching liquid.
- 2
Melt the butter in a heavy pan and sweat the onion, covered, over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and translucent — do not brown.
- 3
Add the potatoes and pour over the reserved poaching liquid. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- 4
Mash a few of the potatoes lightly against the side of the pan to thicken the broth. Fold in the flaked haddock and warm through gently.
- 5
Finish with a swirl of cream, if using, and a generous scattering of parsley. Serve with bread and butter.
Cook's notes
Undyed smoked haddock, please — the vivid orange stuff is dyed, and its flavour is thinner. Look for a pale, silky, ivory fillet.