1 lb (450g) smoked haddock fillets
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups (500ml) whole milk
2 cups (500ml) fish or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Cullen Skink is a traditional Scottish dish, a soup that originates from the town of Cullen in Moray, on the northeast coast of Scotland.
Skink is a Scots word for a shin, knuckle, or hough of beef, which were the parts used to make soups. When beef scraps became tough to find, the Scots in the north used fish, specifically smoked haddock.
The skink soup transformed from beef to fish whilst the name remain unchanged.
The simplicity of the ingredients, the combination of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions, is a practical traditional Scottish recipe. If you use smoked fish, the smokiness of the haddock will impart a distinctive flavor to the soup.