Kurut with dried dill, served with fresh parsley Rehydrated Kurut Dip with Dill & Olive Oil Saucy Galbi served with sesame seeds and cilantro Braised Short Ribs (Galbi-jjim Style) Freshly baked pumpkin seed biscuits Roasted Pumpkin Seed Biscuits Spiced Honey Cake served Spiced Honey Cake Chocolate lava cake with gooey center Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes Roasted sausage served with mustard Oven-Roasted Sausages with Mustard Fideuà with cuttlefish served, garnished with fresh parsley Seafood Pasta with Cuttlefish (Fideuà) Haleem with vegetables served, rich, thick and spicy dish Vegetable Haleem Stew Blue cheese croissants served Blue Cheese Croissants Chocolate cream cake with chocolate glaze Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake Tinda dahi with yogurt and cilantro, garnished with fresh lime leaf Creamy Yogurt Curried Squash (Tinda Masala) Spicy Biltong with lime slices and cilantro Spicy Biltong Salad with Lime Martabak Manis with condensed milk, chocolate, and banana Indonesian Sweet Pancake (Martabak Manis) Spicy Shakshuka with eggs and vegetables. Spicy Turkish Vegetable Shakshuka (Şakşuka) Frikadeller served with brown gravy and fresh parsley Danish Pork Meatballs (Frikadeller) with Gravy Creamy cauliflower and swiss chard soup served in a bowl Creamy Cauliflower & Swiss Chard Soup Strawberry cheesecake crepes plated Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes Oopsie bread low carb cloud bread fresh from the oven Oopsie Bread - Low Carb Cloud Bread Beef and yuba stir-fry with soy sauce and vegetables Beef & Yuba Stir-Fry Zeppole filled with sour cherry jam and dusted with sugar Sour Cherry Filled Italian Donuts Kurut with dried dill, served with fresh parsley Rehydrated Kurut Dip with Dill & Olive Oil Saucy Galbi served with sesame seeds and cilantro Braised Short Ribs (Galbi-jjim Style) Freshly baked pumpkin seed biscuits Roasted Pumpkin Seed Biscuits Spiced Honey Cake served Spiced Honey Cake Chocolate lava cake with gooey center Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes Roasted sausage served with mustard Oven-Roasted Sausages with Mustard Fideuà with cuttlefish served, garnished with fresh parsley Seafood Pasta with Cuttlefish (Fideuà) Haleem with vegetables served, rich, thick and spicy dish Vegetable Haleem Stew Blue cheese croissants served Blue Cheese Croissants Chocolate cream cake with chocolate glaze Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake Tinda dahi with yogurt and cilantro, garnished with fresh lime leaf Creamy Yogurt Curried Squash (Tinda Masala) Spicy Biltong with lime slices and cilantro Spicy Biltong Salad with Lime Martabak Manis with condensed milk, chocolate, and banana Indonesian Sweet Pancake (Martabak Manis) Spicy Shakshuka with eggs and vegetables. Spicy Turkish Vegetable Shakshuka (Şakşuka) Frikadeller served with brown gravy and fresh parsley Danish Pork Meatballs (Frikadeller) with Gravy Creamy cauliflower and swiss chard soup served in a bowl Creamy Cauliflower & Swiss Chard Soup Strawberry cheesecake crepes plated Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes Oopsie bread low carb cloud bread fresh from the oven Oopsie Bread - Low Carb Cloud Bread Beef and yuba stir-fry with soy sauce and vegetables Beef & Yuba Stir-Fry Zeppole filled with sour cherry jam and dusted with sugar Sour Cherry Filled Italian Donuts
Cullen Skink, smoked haddock soup with potatoes
Scottish smoked haddock and potato soup

Scottish Smoked Haddock Chowder (Cullen Skink)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Soups
Cullen Skink is Scotland's answer to coastal living: a thick, warming soup built on the bold flavor of smoked haddock. It's the ancestor of chowders, where thickening comes not from roux but from the natural starch of potatoes. The meeting of cold-smoked fish (Finnan Haddie) and creamy milk creates a rich emulsion that is both rustic and refined.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 20 mins
⌛ Total Time 35 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 340 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Scottish / British

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Medium pot
  • Potato masher or fork
  • Slotted spoon

Allergen Information

⚠️ Fish
⚠️ Milk

Instructions

1 ✓

Place the fish skin-side down in a pot and cover with the milk.

Tip: Collagen in the skin dissolves during cooking, adding body and flavor to the base.
2 ✓

Bring slowly to a gentle simmer, then immediately remove from heat and let sit in the hot milk for 5 minutes.

Tip: This is poaching. Gentle heat keeps the fish juicy, whereas boiling would dry it out.
3 ✓

Remove fish (save the milk!), discard skin and bones, and flake the meat into chunks.

Tip: Handle gently as the fish is delicate now.
4 ✓

In the rinsed pot, melt butter and sweat the onion until translucent (do not brown).

Tip: Sweating brings out natural sweetness without creating bitter charred notes.
5 ✓

Add potatoes and water. Simmer covered until potatoes are fully tender.

Tip: They are ready when the edges start to crumble.
6 ✓

Remove about half the potatoes, mash them, and return to the pot.

Tip: This replaces flour thickening. Released starch granules bind the liquid, creating a creamy texture.
7 ✓

Pour in the reserved smoky milk and stir gently. Heat through but do not boil!

Tip: Boiling can curdle milk proteins, creating a grainy texture.
8 ✓

Add fish flakes, warm for a minute. Season with pepper (salt is likely unnecessary due to the fish) and serve with chives.

Tip: The fish is already cooked; just warming it up.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the milk curdle?
Smoked fish can be slightly acidic, or boiling too hard caused it. Always cook on a gentle simmer!
Best potatoes?
Use starchy potatoes (like Russets) because they break down easily to thicken the soup.

Ingredients

  • 14 oz Smoked Haddock (skin-on preferred)
  • 2 cups Whole Milk
  • 10 oz Potatoes (Russet, cubed)
  • 1 small Onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 cup Water (or fish poaching liquid)
  • 1 bunch Chives or Parsley
  • 1 pinch White Pepper