Cullen Skink recipe – Adam Stokes version

Cullen skink - The Adam Stokes method

Ingredients

• 470 g un-dyded smoked haddock
• 500 ml milk
• 2 large white potatoes
• 4 shallots diced
• 1 knob butter
• 100 ml white wine
• 90 ml double cream
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 12 quails eggs
• 1 lemon
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 handful parsley leaves
• 1 handful chopped chives

  1. Pour the milk into a pan and add the haddock and place over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the flesh of the fish turns opaque.
  2. Once poached, remove the haddock and set aside to keep warm along with the milk.
  3. Add the butter to a plan and sauté the potato cubes. Add the shallots and cook until both the potato and shallots are soft.
  4. Pour in the the chicken stock, white wine, double cream and reserved milk and bring back to the boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Season the soup with salt, pepper and mustard powder to taste
  5. While that is simmering, boil the quails eggs for 3 minutes in a separate pan, remove and cool in ice water. Once cooled, carefully remove the shells and slice each egg in half.
  6. Blitz the soup in a blender and then pass through a sieve
  7. Remove the skin from the fish and flake into large chunks. Season with lemon juice and salt
  8. Place 4 slices of quails eggs at the bottom of each bowl and lay some, but not all, of the fish flakes on top. Pour the soup on top and finish with the rest of the fish and more slices of quails eggs. Sprinkle chopped chives and parsley leaves on top and serve immediately

Adam Stokes began his professional career at Hambleton Hall in Leicestershire under Aaron Patterson.

In 2008 he became head chef at Glenapp Castle in Scotland, aged only twenty-six where he secured a fourth AA rosette and his first Michelin star.

Adam has since moved on to the less rural surroundings of central Birmingham, where he and his wife Natasha initially set up adam’s.

Less than six months after opening, Adam Stokes and his wife Natasha were awarded their own Michelin star.

This recipe first appeared on the Great British Chefs website.