Cullen skink is a traditional Scottish soup made from smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. Originating from the town of Cullen in Moray, Scotland, the dish’s distinct flavour comes from the use of smoked haddock, which imparts a rich, smoky taste to the creamy soup. It’s popular in Scottish cuisine, particularly in the colder months.
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Cullen skink, Scotland’s famous smoked fish soup, is a remarkably simple recipe. The key is to use quality, locally sourced ingredients. It doesn’t need any extra fancy ingredients – just some smoked fish (usually haddock), milk, leeks and/or onions, potatoes and, if you’re feeling indulgent, a bit of cream.
Cullen Skink at the top of a mountain
Situated in the top station on Cairn Gorm Mountain, in the most unexpected of places, you’ll find Scotland’s highest restaurant – The Ptarmigan.
At 1090 metres/ 3500 feet above sea level it’s no problem to access thanks to Scotland’s only Funicular Railway – a train carriage pulled 1.9 km up the mountain at 11 miles per hour.
They serve a wicked Cullen skink soup on the top of Cairn Gorm at The Ptarmigan restaurant—Cullen skink and crusty bread: a hearty lunch with a fantastic view.
Here’s how I make Cullen skink at home…
Ingredients
- 250 grams smoked Shetland haddock
- 400 ml full-fat milk
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large leek
- 1/2 onion
- 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 350 grams potatoes
- 120 ml double cream
- Shetland sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh parsley
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Instructions
- Heat the butter in a soup pan and gently cook the leeks, onion and bacon until the vegetables soften.
- Add the peeled, cubed potatoes and cook for fifteen minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Using a hand blender or potato masher, puree half of the mixture (a hand blender will give you a creamier texture) and return to the pan.
- Add smoked haddock, cut into small pieces. Cook 5 minutes and then add the double cream.
- Reheat the soup but don’t allow it to boil. Season to taste.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh or dried parsley.
They serve a wicked cullen skink soup on the top of Cairn Gorm at The Ptarmigan restaurant. At £4.95 for soup and crusty bread that’s a pretty good lunch with a fantastic view.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Cullen Skink
Ingredients
- 250 grams smoked haddock
- 400 ml full fat milk
- 6 whole peppercorns
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large leek finely sliced
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon finely chopped
- 350 grams potatoes peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 120 ml double cream
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley to garnish
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Equipment
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp butter in a soup pan and gently cook 1 large leek, finely sliced, 1/2 onion, finely chopped, and 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped, until the vegetables soften.
- Add 350 grams potatoes, peeled and chopped, and cook for fifteen minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add 400 ml full fat milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Using a hand blender or potato masher, puree half of the mixture (a hand blender will give you a creamier texture) and return to the pan.
- Add 250 grams smoked haddock, cut into small pieces. Cook 5 minutes and then add 120 ml double cream.
- Reheat the soup but don't allow it to boil. Season to taste with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkling of fresh parsley or dried parsley.
Bramley Apple Crumble
Oh wow I love Cullen skink! This has me hungry 🙂
Sounds and looks like a beautiful place. I would love to visit one day. The recipe looks easy – so a huge plus for that. I usually buy smoked haddock and fry it up with eggs. But next time I buy some I’ll be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Oh wow lucky! Looks like such an amazing place. Fantastic photos
This looks an amazing place! I absolutely love Cullen Skink, its my favourite soup! Thank you for the recipe, I have never tried making it myself, but youv’e made it look so easy
Tx
It must be amazing sampling fresh delicious produce on what must seem like the top of the world. Seriously though that view takes my breath away.
Wow, what a wonderful experience! Can’t think of a more perfect place to enjoy this dish.
Never heard of cullen skink soup before but it looks like a really lovely warm dish for a cold day! I want to start making more soups as I’ve got a blender now and this looks tasty and healthy!
This looks so comforting and tasty. The perfect treat for when you’re at the top of a mountain!
Oh my I am utterly jealous what an amazing view
Oh wow looks like a lovely place to have something to eat!
I am totally drooling at this, what an amazing bowl of comfort it looks and sounds x
Lovely place for a light lunch! I love the pics and your soup. I’m not a fish person, but i’d try a bowl of it!
I gotta say that’s a fabulous place to eat lunch! And what a tasty soup! I can imagine the pace was slow getting up there, and maybe a bit boring but now you’ve got the recipe and the pics of that great view. And memories! Fun!
I can’t think of a better place to eat a bowl of hot soup than somewhere with that view!! Your homemade version looks absolutely lovely too.
Wow – what a view from that restaurant. I bet it made everything taste so much better with a view like that.
What a delightful trip and view and what a delicious stew!
This is a beautiful soup. I haven’t been to Scotland in quite a few years so it was fun to enjoy your photos as well 🙂
This soup has my mouth watering. What a wonderful combo of flavors and textures.Plus, thanks for the funicular tour of the mountain.
How beautiful! And your soup looks absolutely wonderful, yum 🙂
Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing them. And the soup looks and sounds delicious!
Thank you for adding to my post box collection! You’ve now sent me Britain’s most northerly and highest post boxes! I haven’t been sent any in ages but I have managed to go and see some of them myself. I must make it further up Scotland some time. I had cullen skink in one my favourite restaurants by the River Teviot earlier in the year. I keep meaning to make it at home as it really is a meal in itself.
The stew recipe looks quick and easy to prepare. Trying it.
It sounds like a hearty soup that is for sure and I imagine it to be very filling. Great that it uses fresh produce.
Your soup looks lush! Just checked our Ptarmigan’s webcams and it’s looking c-c-c-cold and sssssnowy there. Brrrrrr.
Love the view and the food looks amazing! perfect for this time of year.
I would love to visit one day! I’ve never been to Scotland before, but hopefully next year I will visit 🙂 The soup looks amazing and perfect for these cold days x
Can never get my head around the idea of fish soup, but so want to go to a cafe at the top of a mountain now!
I got super excited reading this, thinking ooo, Elizabeth and family are near up a hill from me right now! Ach well! I’ve only ever had chips up there, after I escaped a wildlife photography white out on a nearby trail. I turned back and took the funicular up to the restaurant instead, and got a plate of chips for comfort, haha.
I think Cullen Skink has the best name ever for a soup, if only I wasn’t a gosh-darn veggie I’d have tried it years ago!
I have been up to the top of Cairn Gorm mountain twice but never knew they did Cullen Skink there. Your version looks amazing and I hope to make it myself soon
A warming bowl of fish soup with that amazing view sounds pretty close to perfect to me!
Oh wow what a spectacular place to have some warming soup – love Scotland – lived in Edinburgh for almost two years and need to go back
Laura x
I love the words Funicular and cullin skink but while I love to make vegetarian versions of Scottish dishes I can’t see myself doing it with cullen skink as fish is challenging. I would like to go up the funicular railway partly so I could just say the word over and over as I told people I had been on it 🙂
I have never ever had Cullen skink and right now I would welcome a huge bowl of it as I am soooooooooo cold.