Cook Like a Chef: Cullen skink

Mark Moriarty: Cook Like a Chef airs Wednesdays at 8pm on RTÉ One.

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Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g cleaned cod fillet, diced into chunks

• 500g cleaned mussels

• 1 litre milk

• 70g butter

• 70g flour

• 300ml white wine

• 1 onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced

• 4 rooster potatoes

• ½ chicken stock cube

• Zest and juice of half a lemon

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• Chopped green herbs, to garnish

• Olive oil, to garnish

• Salt

• Drizzle of pesto

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Method

1. Begin by poaching your potatoes and fish. Place a medium-sized sauce pan on a low heat and add the milk and stock cube.

   
   

2. Peel and chop your potatoes into thumb-size chunks. Place the potato and cod into the milk and gently simmer for 15 minutes until the potato is just soft and cod cooked through. Carefully remove the potato and cod from the liquid and reserve for later. Keep the liquid warm for making the soup base.

   
   

3. Place a pan on the heat and allow it to get smoking hot. Add the cleaned mussels and the white wine before covering with a lid and cooking over the high heat for 1 minute until the mussels open. Strain the liquid from the pan into the milk base, and pick the mussel meat, discarding the shells.

   
   

4. Quickly wipe your pan clean and return to a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic along with the butter, and sweat for 2 minutes until softened. Now add the flour and cook for a further minute before increasing the heat and adding the cooking liquids. Bring this to the boil, whisking all the time, until it forms a soup consistency. Return the cod, potatoes, and picked mussels to the soup before seasoning with salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and Dijon mustard.

   
   

5. Ladle into soup bowls, cover with chopped green herbs, and drizzle with olive oil.