Cullen Skink Soup - 1 - $ & Soda Bread - 1 - $ - V

On my recent trip to the UK I spent some time in the Scottish Highlands, which were truly breathtaking and truly freezing. I mean actually freezing. The below zero kind. My cockles were in need of some serious warming and this soup was just the ticket.

The salty, smokey flavour of the fish cuts through the creaminess of the milk and the potatoes give it enough bulk to fill you up. The recipe is really simple, but as with many things, simple and fresh is best. I would put this soup up there with a classic minestrone or chicken and sweetcorn. It really is that good.
Mine was served with cheesy soda bread, so I've added Jamie's Cheesy Mustard Soda Bread recipe at the bottom if you feel so inclined.
The tricksy part of making this soup might be finding smoked haddock if you live in Australia, so ask you local fishmonger to point you in the right direction and if all else fails you could substitute with smoked cod.


Ingredients

50gm butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1200ml full cream milk
750gm potatoes, peeled and finely diced
450gm smoked haddock fillet/s (or cod if need be)
2tbs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to season

In a large pot melt the butter and cook the onion on a medium-low heat for about 8 minutes until it softens and becomes translucent.
Add the milk and gently bring to the boil. Add the potatoes, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until they are soft. Don't let them go to mash though.
Add the fish fillet/s to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the fish and flake off the flesh. Be careful to remove any bones and not burn your fingers.
Put the fish pieces back into the soup, stir well to combine and then spoon into bowls for serving. You can add some chopped parsley to pretty it up or just dig in.


Jamie's Cheesy Mustard Soda Bread Ingredients

350gm wholemeal flour
175gm plain flour
1tsp mustard powder
1tsp bi-carb soda
1/2tsp sea salt
50gm grated cheddar
350ml milk
80ml sour cream

Preheat oven to 200C degrees. Dust a baking tray with some flour and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, mustard powder, bi-carb, cheese and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
Make a well in the bowl of dry ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to make a wet dough. Divide the dough in half and place on the baking tray.
Put some flour on your hands and use your fingertips to push each lump of dough into discs about twenty centimetres wide. Score a cross on the top and bake for 30 minutes or until the bread is brown and crusty on top.
Cool on a wire rack and serve with your delicious Cullen Skink.

Enjoy!