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world champion's cullen skink

Recipe by
Neal Robertson
Auchtermuchty

This is the recipe I used to win the World Cullen Skink Championship in 2014. I am also a World Porridge Champion and World Speciality Porridge Champion.

yield 3 hearty or 4 generous portions
prep time 5 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For world champion's cullen skink

  • one medium onion, very finely diced (i lost a bit of fingernail during the competition, that fine)
  • 250g duke of york potatoes from stuart morris at balgersho, diced to 1cm
  • 25g unsalted scottish butter
  • 10ml stark's rapeseed oil
  • 300ml water from your favourite well
  • 250g undyed smoked haddock from the lovely wee fish shop in lady wynd (make the effort, you do want to win!)
  • 500ml full fat gold top milk
  • chiffonade of parsley and chives
  • salt and pepper to taste

How To Make world champion's cullen skink

  • 1
    Lay the fish in a wide enough pan for it to lie flat, cover with the milk and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for five minutes.
  • 2
    Tip the onion, butter, oil, salt and pepper into a large pan and fry gently until the onion is transparent, you are smart enough to know that if the onion colours it will become bitter and you will have to start again. Tip in the potatoes and fry for another few moments. Crank up the heat and add the water, lift the fish from the milk and pour it in, ease down to a gentle simmer (the soup, not you).
  • 3
    Break the fish into large chunks, removing any skin or bones.
  • 4
    Chop some parsley and chives until you can't bear to chop any more, that is a chiffonade.
  • 5
    *Tricky bit claxon* Not that tricky really. Take a couple of ladles of the soup and pound in a mortar and pestle until smooth, then tip back in. You now have a thick soup that still has chunks in it Aren't you clever!
  • 6
    Slide the fish back into the soup, warm through gently then serve with a sprinkle of chiffonade on top and crusty home made bread on the side. You do make your own bread, don't you!

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