Skye Dawn Chowder
Skye Dawn Chowder: Pollack & Saithe at Trotternish
Trotternish Ridge, Staffin Bay at dawn: pollack and saithe often reach 2–5kg by June as they chase sand eels among the kelp. Old crofters remember Flodigarry pots and selkie songs; the fish come in salty and ready for a bothy kettle.
A Hebridean riff on Cullen Skink, this chowder uses 600g mixed fresh pollack and smoked saithe, waxy new potatoes, milk and a dash of peat-smoke. Poach fish gently in home-made stock with a bay leaf for two minutes after the boil, then flake the meat off skin and bones into chunky pieces.
Ingredients & Method
Sauté onion in butter until soft, add cubed potatoes and coat. Pour in poaching liquid and milk, simmer fifteen minutes until potatoes are tender. Return flaked fish, warm through and finish with chopped chives, black pepper and optional grated Skye cheddar. Serve in thick bowls with soda bread or oatcakes.
Gear-wise, a 12ft beach caster and a peeler crab lure on braided line are practical on Skye shingle; at home, a heavy cast iron pot keeps heat steady and adds a memory of peat-smoke. The chowder feeds four, cooks in thirty minutes, and tastes like the cliffs—briny, smoky and plain good—with sea mist hanging over the Quiraing and a kettle hissing on the stove.
Recommended: camp cast iron pot