This soup is packed with savoury, creamy, smoky and fresh flavours and textures yet it is so easy to prepare and is ideal for everyday meals as well as dinner parties.Cullen Skink is the perfect starter for a Scottish themed meal especially for Robert Burn's Night dinner, St Andrew's Day, Hogmanay (Scottish New Years Eve), New Year's Day, or anytime you feel like a delicious taste of Scotland.
⅛teaspoonground white pepper[can replace with black pepper]
180gramssmoked tofu[can use more if preferred]
Garnish, optional:
1teaspoon'fish' herb seasoning mix[or your chosen seasoning such as Mrs Dash, lemon herb blend, etc]
2tablespoonsfresh parsley, dill, or chives[chopped]
To serve: Scottish oatcakes, crackers, breadsticks, crusty bread - are all tasty accompaniments
Instructions
Prepare the mashed potatoes: (or if using leftover mashed potatoes omit this step):
Peel and cube the potatoes. Add to a pot with salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer until fork tender.Drain but reserve the liquid as it can be used to prepare the vegetable stock if using stock cubes/stock powder/bouillon paste/etc. Also 2 tablespoons can be used for the potato mash.
550 grams potatoes
Add 1 tablespoon of vegan margarine to the potatoes along with 2 tablespoons of potato water or veggie stock. Mash until smooth-ish, a few small lumps are fine.If preferred the margarine can be omitted and replaced with 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste or an extra tablespoon of stock, potato water, or plant-based milk.
Set aside until required - if prepared in advance the mashed potato, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a few months.
Prepare the Cullen skink soup:
Chop the tofu into small pieces and chop the onion and add to a soup pan.
180 grams smoked tofu, 1 medium onion
Pour the vegetable stock into the pan. Season with the white pepper and garlic powder, and a few pinches of salt.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour in the plant-based milk.
500 mililitres plant-based milk
Add the mashed potatoes and whisk or stir until the potatoes are smoothly mixed in. (Adding the potatoes in 2-3 stages will make it easier to mix them in.)
Bring back to the boil, check the seasoning adding more salt and pepper to taste. Don't fast boil the soup as you just want to bring it back up to boiling point before serving the soup.
Suggested garnishes:
Serve sprinkled with a vegan-friendly 'fish' herb seasoning blend or a similar herb mix such as a lemon herb mix. Or a sprinkle of red pepper or paprika flakes. Some dried seaweed scattered over the top will add more fishy flavours and some chopped fresh parsley, dill, or chives are a nice fresh addition.
1 teaspoon 'fish' herb seasoning mix, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, dill, or chives
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Store leftover Cullen Skink within a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be reheated by adding to a non-stick pot and bringing to the boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for 1 minutes until piping hot. Be careful not to fast boil or simmer for more than a few minutes as the plant-based milk may split.
Cullen Skink is easy to prepare as gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free vegetable stock and check that your smoked tofu and any seasoning blends are free from gluten ingredients.
If you're in the UK smoked tofu can be found at most UK supermarkets, including the Co-op and sometimes in Lidl when they are doing their vegan week or vegan specials. Also, whole food stores usually stock smoked tofu.
For a home-made quick smoked tofu try this rough guide: Slice up a block of firm tofu and add a few tablespoons of soy sauce and about 1-1 ½ teaspoons of liquid smoke. A nice addition is a ripped up nori seaweed sheet or use pieces of your choice of dried seaweed. Mix everything well and leave to marinade for a few hours. A little smoked paprika could be used if liquid smoke is hard to source. We source liquid smoke from Amazon [UK]. Play around with the flavours until they are what you like.