Cullen skink

Cul·len skink
US, UK/ˌkʌlən ˈskɪŋk/

noun

A thick soup made of smoked finnan haddock, milk, onions, and potatoes, a local speciality of Cullen in Moray, Scotland.

Meanings

nounCullen skink (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA thick soup made of smoked finnan haddock, milk, onions, and potatoes, a local speciality of Cullen in Moray, Scotland.

    […] Cullen skink is to the Hebrides what clam chowder is to New England. In fact, it's very similar to clam chowder, the main difference being that instead of clams, Cullen skink calls for smoked haddock.

    2006 March, David Lansing, “HopScotching the Inner Hebrides”, in Christine Richard, editor, Islands, Winter Park, Fla.: Islands Media Corp., →OCLC, page 92, column 2
    3 more examples

    CULLEN SKINK (Smoked Haddock Soup) […] Cullen is a fishing village and "skink" is the old Scots name for broth. It is a splendid soup, just right for wintry weather, especially in this modern version. […] Christopher Oakes, head chef of the Castle Hotel in Taunton, Somerset, has put together two traditional Scots soups, Cullen Skink (Smoked Haddock) and Cock-a-Leekie (Chicken Soup), to produce an interesting new soup.

    1986, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, “Soups”, in From the Tables of Britain: Exploring Exciting English Cuisine in 250 Recipes, Lanham, Md.; London: M. Evans, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, pages 102–103

    In Scotland he had no trouble eating haggis, stovies or Cullen skink. He still had trouble with porridge, however, and when it crept up on him disguised under the name of Highland Brose and containing cream, honey and whisky, it was transformed into a powerful emetic.

    1992, Geoff Nicholson, chapter 5, in The Food Chain, Woodstock, N.Y.: The Overlook Press, →ISBN

    Like most traditional Scottish cooking, Cullen skink is simple, rib-sticking fare made from a handful of ingredients. It starts with a smoked haddock, known locally as a finnan haddie. The fish is gently poached in milk with onions, then flaked. The bones may go back into the pot for simmering to make the base of the soup. The strained broth is then thickened with mashed potato, a delicious way for a cook to use up last night's leftovers. […] With the North Sea winds rattling the windows, there is comfort in a bowl of Cullen skink.

    2007, “Soups and Salads”, in 1001 Foods to Die For, Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, page 124

Origin

From Cullen (“a village and former royal burgh in Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom”) + skink (“(originally) pottage or soup made from a boiled joint of beef; pottage or soup made from other ingredients”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hebrew קאלן סקינק
  • קאלן סקינקthick soup made of smoked haddock, milk, onions, and potatoes
Scottish Gaelic brot Cuilinn
  • brot Cuilinnthick soup made of smoked haddock, milk, onions, and potatoes

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Cullen skink

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Cite this entry
APA

Cullen skink. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cullen%20skink

MLA

“Cullen skink.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cullen%20skink. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cullen skink,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cullen%20skink.

Source: Cullen skink on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.