Luxury Cullen Skink - cooking recipe

Ingredients

500 g smoked haddock (Undyed also called Finnan Haddock)
200 g potatoes, finely diced
2 onions (1 cut in half, the other finely chopped)
50 g butter
4 cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1 liter milk
300 ml double cream
sea salt
pepper (Freshly ground)
4 smoked scallops (optional)

Preparation

Cut one onion in half, and stick 2 cloves in each half.
Into a pan put the milk, the halved onions, and the bayleaves and thyme.
Boil the milk then simmer for 5 minutes, to impart the flavour of the herbs and onion into the milk.
Add the fish and poach for 5 minutes.
Remove the fish, flake it and ensure there are no bones in it and set aside.
Strain the milk, keeping it to use as the basis for the soup.
Fry the chopped onion and potato in a knob of butter until the onion is transparent, but not brown. Add the milk and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the soup into a blender or use a stick blender, but only give it a light whizz, as you need to keep some of the texture of the potatoes in the soup.
Add the fish, and the chopped fresh parsley and simmer for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
Before serving, add the fresh double cream taking care not to boil the soup once this has been added.
Serve with warm crusty bread and stand back and wait for the applause!