Cullen Skink

If you’ve never been to Scotland, then you’ve likely not heard of cullen skink before. After haggis, cullen skink is undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most famous dishes. It’s a traditional, cream-based chowder made with smoked fish (think “New England clam chowder, but with smoked fish instead of clams”). The dish originated in the town of Cullen in the far north of Scotland. Today, it can be found on the menus of most pubs and restaurants across the country.

The majestic Isle of Skye

Cullen skink is one of my absolute favorite dishes to eat when it’s cold. Whereas New England clam chowder uses bacon to add a degree of smokiness to the soup, cullen skink gets it directly from the smoked fish. The depth of flavour that gets infused into the soup as a result is next level — even the best New England chowders don’t come close.

Traditional cullen skink is made with smoked haddock (known as finnan haddie in Scottish), an ingredient that’s incredibly difficult to find in North American. Thankfully, we have something on this side of the pond that can serve as a worthy substitute: smoked black cod.

Black cod (also known as sablefish) is one of my favorite ingredients from the Pacific Northwest (I’ve previously shared a recipe for miso-marinated black cod that you should definitely check out). Many seafood markets (and even grocery stores) carry smoked black cod, so it’s relatively easy to come by (though by all means, try making this dish with finnan haddie if you can find it).

Cullen Skink

• Serves: 4 - 6

• Preparation time: 10 minutes

• Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb cold-smoked black cod (or finnan haddie — aka Scottish smoked haddock)

• 4 cups of whole milk

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1 medium leek, diced thin (see Notes)

• Juice from ½ lemon

• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, pealed and cut into ¼-inch cubes

• ½ cup of heavy cream

• 1 bay leaf

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Cholula (or another vinegar-based hot sauce)

Preparation

Pour the milk and bay leaf into a medium saucepan. Heat at medium-high until barely simmering and reduce the temperature to medium low (you want the milk to be barely simmering but never actively boiling, as that will dramatically change the flavor of the milk — and not in a good way).

Add the smoked black cod to the saucepan and cook the fish until it just barely starts to flake (5-6 minutes). The fish will significantly plump in size as it absorbs the milk and rehydrates.

Remove the fish from the milk and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Remove the bay leaf from the milk and discard. Pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and set aside.

Place your Dutch oven or a large pot onto the stove and heat to medium-high (if reusing the same saucepan from before, make sure to thoroughly wash it before proceeding to this step). Heat the butter until it melts and stir in the onions and leeks.

Sweat the onions and leeks for about 10 minutes while stirring frequently. The longer you sweat the mixture down, the sweeter and more flavorful your soup will be. Reducing the heat if it starts to scorch at any point.

Add the lemon juice, several grinds of black pepper and 4-5 dashes of Cholula and sweat for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix the potatoes into the pot and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring regularly. This will both infuse the potatoes with the flavor of the onions and leeks while helping to release some of the starch from the potatoes (which thickens the soup).

Pour the milk that was previously used to cook the fish into the Dutch oven and heat until it is just barely simmering (again, make sure it doesn’t boil). Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Make sure to regularly stir and scrap the pot so that the milk does not scorch.

While the soup is simmering, peel the skin off of the fish and remove any bones. Pull the fish apart into bite-sized pieces (it should flake naturally) and set aside.

Once the potatoes are tender, use a potato masher (or a large wooden spoon) and press into the soup 4-5 times to crush some of the potatoes. The idea here isn’t to mash all of the potatoes. The goal is to break up a portion of them in order to get a variety of shapes and sizes while releasing more of the solids to thicken the soup.

Add the shredded fish and heavy cream to the soup and stir to combine. Let cook an additional 2-3 minutes and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving

Serve immediately and top with chives.

Cullen skink can be kept for 2-3 days refrigerated.

Notes

The use of leeks adds a distinct sweetness to cullen skink. Some recipes omit the leeks to reduce the sweetness of the soup. If you find this recipe to be too sweet for your likely, feel free to omit the leeks.