Rick Stein’s Cornwall: Cullen Skink Recipe

As seen on Rick Stein’s Cornwall, this is Rick’s recipe for Cullen Skink. A warming, smoked haddock soup which is rather nice with some freshly baked soda bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1.2 litres whole milk
• 750g floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
• 450g undyed smoked haddock, skinned and any bones removed
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Serve with wholemeal soda bread:

• 250g wholemeal flour
• 250g plain white flour
• 1.5 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 425ml buttermilk

How to make Cullen Skink

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently until softened for 6-8 minutes, then add the milk and bring up to a boil and add the diced potato. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until they are very soft, crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pan to thicken the soup a little.
   
2. Add the smoked haddock and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it is cooked and will flake easily. Return it to the pan and stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. 
   
3. Serve sprinkled with a little more parsley with warm buttered soda bread.

Wholemeal Soda Bread:

Set the oven to 200c/180c fan.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and add the milk to produce a soft dough. 

Shape with the minimum of kneading into a disc about 5-6cm thick. Using a knife cut a cross in the top about half  of the way through the dough, dust the top with a little more flour.

Place on a greased oven sheet and bake for about 30 minutes until risen and crusty and the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped.

Allow to cool on a wire rack and then serve in wedges with plenty of butter.