Cullen skink: Scottish smoked fish soup

Method

1. 1

   Preparation

   Clean the fish, finely chop the onion and leek, and dice the potatoes.

   15 min
2. 2

   Frying the onion

   Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion in it until softened.

   3 min
3. 3

   Poaching the fish

   Add the fish with half the milk and the bay leaf, and poach gently for about 5 minutes, then remove the fish.

   5 min
4. 4

   Cooking the vegetables

   Add the leek, potatoes and remaining milk to the liquid, and simmer for about 10 minutes until tender.

   10 min
5. 5

   Blending

   Blend the soup until smooth with a stick blender; you can also mash some of the potato to thicken it.

   3 min
6. 6

   Returning the fish

   Return the flaked fish and the cream to the soup, then gently reheat without boiling.

   2 min
7. 7

   Serving

   Serve in a warm bowl sprinkled with fresh chives and parsley, with crisp buttered bread.

   2 min