Haiku: Cullen Skink

photo-haiku by Xenia Tran , featuring a haiku and a photograph of a bowl of fish and potato soup
close up of organic leek and potatoes

Cullen skink and stovies
a lunch-time line forms
in the rain

© Xenia Tran

The Asahi Shimbun, 18 February 2022

close up of fish and potato soup served in bowl

Cullen Skink is a popular fish soup along the Moray coast, where it is served in many restaurants, cafés and takeaways. Seeing people wait in line outside a takeaway inspired the above haiku.

This traditional Scottish soup originated in Cullen, a town that has featured a few times on this blog, most recently in January’s post Seatown.

It is an easy dish to prepare yourself. Some people use onion, we prefer leek. Some people use mashed potato with cream, we prefer cubed potato, steamed in their skin.

close up of washed and chopped organic leek
close up of cubed organic potato in a steam pan

Ingredients:

Organic leek, organic potato, smoked haddock, milk, parsley (or lovage).

Method:

Wash, peel and chop the leek, wash and cube the potatoes. Steam the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes, the leek for 10 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, poach the smoked haddock in semi-skimmed milk for five minutes. Remove the haddock with a strainer and transfer it onto a plate. When the fish is cool enough to touch, flake it into large pieces, removing any bones, and return it to the milk in the pan.

Add the steamed potato and leek to the milk and haddock and heat together for another five minutes. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley et voilà – you have a simple, wholesome dish for any occasion.

close up of fresh parsley on a chopping board
close up of fish soup in a bowl, garnished with parsley

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Thank you Cee for honouring us with this post as a CMMC Featured Blogger!

CMMC Featured Blogger Ribbon

CMMC: Close-Up or Macro

Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Wholesome

Word of the Day Challenge: Occasion

Author: Tranature - quiet moments in nature

The stories, poems and photographs on Tranature are the original creative work of Xenia Tran, inspired by the natural surroundings of the Scottish Highlands.

26 thoughts on “Haiku: Cullen Skink”

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