Cullen skink with wholemeal soda bread
A smooth, creamy potato and smoked haddock soup served with a freshly baked wholemeal soda bread.
By Rick Stein
Ingredients
For the wholemeal soda bread
- 250g/9oz wholemeal flour
- 250g/9oz plain white flour
- 1½ tsp table salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 425ml/¾ pint buttermilk
For the cullen skink
- 50g/1¾oz butter, plus extra to serve
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1.2 litres/2 pints full-fat milk
- 750g/1lb 10oz floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes
- 450g/1lb undyed smoked haddock loin, skin and any bones removed
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease a large baking tray.
For the soda bread, begin by sifting the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Tip in the buttermilk and mix until you have a soft dough.
With minimum kneading, shape the dough into a 5–6cm/2–2½in-thick disc. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on the top cutting through about half of the dough. Dust the top with a little more flour.
Place on the greased baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes, or until well-risen, crusty and the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, to make the cullen skink, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook gently for 6–8 minutes until softened. Add the milk and bring to a boil, tip in the potatoes and simmer for 10–15 minutes until very soft. Using the back of a spoon, crush a few of the potatoes against the side of the pan help thicken the soup a little.
Add the smoked haddock to the pan and simmer for a further 3–4 minutes, until the haddock is cooked through and flakes easily. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with a little more parsley with still-warm buttered soda bread alongside.
