Tucker Shaw

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The Cerulean Cookbook

In 2001, Ebury Press published Living and Eating by John Pawson and Annie Bell. It was a quiet release, not much splash. The book is still not very easy to find. But in the last quarter century it’s achieved a certain cultish status among contemporary cookbook collectors—and has inspired a thousand lookalikes.

By The Editors Published October 29, 2025

Cooking for One: Fried Chicken!

This super-simple stovetop method, inspired by katsu-style chicken and other similar dishes, nets you flavorful, juicy chicken breast with a super-crunchy exterior, and it comes together quickly—plus, it only needs three tablespoons of vegetable oil to cook, most of which is left behind in the pan.

By The Editors Published October 20, 2025

Quick Cucumber Salad for One

I like the long, hothouse (sometimes called English) cukes here, but any cucumber will work. If yours is particularly seedy, consider scraping out the seeds.

By The Editors Published October 20, 2025

​Fried Chicken Breast for One

If your chicken breast is on the larger side (these days, they can sometimes be almost 12 ounces), simply halve it through the center to create two thinner fillets and save one for later. You’ll want to marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, but 4 hours is better. Even 12 hours is okay.

By The Editors Published October 20, 2025

Yeasted Almond-Coconut Crunch Cake

The yeast here provides a small leavening boost, but more importantly, it contributes an otherwise unattainable flavor and aroma, reminiscent of an early-morning Nordic bakery. Be sure to factor in an hour-long rest for the batter before you bake it. This cake is extra good when it’s still a little bit warm, so time your coffee break accordingly.

By The Editors Published September 26, 2025

In Praise of Campy Cookbooks

I’ve got plenty of books for culinary instruction. I’m looking for stories. For perspective. For a tether to the old days. I want a sense of how people cooked and ate and wrote about food in days gone by. I want inspiration. Connection. Style. Humor. I want vibes. 

By The Editors Published September 18, 2025

Cold Stuffed Eggs

The basics aren’t so different from what we’d call “Deviled Eggs” today, but Elisie de Wolfe’s recommendation—to serve them in bite-sized quarters rather than unwieldy halves—makes so much sense for a passed-appetizer that I’m appalled that I’ve never considered it (or even seen it) before. – Tucker Shaw

By The Editors Published September 15, 2025

Spaghetti With Saffron

Glamorous, refined, and magnetically aromatic, this elegantly-tinted dish is just accessible enough. – Tucker Shaw

By The Editors Published September 15, 2025

Gently-Roasted Fish for One

This recipe works for salmon, cod, or halibut. If your fillet is slimmer than 1 1/2 inches, check it at about 18 minutes.

By The Editors Published September 8, 2025

A Colorful Jumble for Fish

This summery mix goes especially well with halibut, but it’s also charming with cod or salmon.

By The Editors Published September 8, 2025

Cooking for One: A ‘Borderline Brainless’ Dish

When I’m cooking dinner for myself, not much matters more than simplicity. And I don’t mean the kind of “simplicity” that food media so often lies about. I mean borderline brainlessness. I just want to play Stevie Wonder records, putter around on autopilot, and, without any agita, produce a delicious supper.

By The Editors Published September 8, 2025

Dinner Tonight, Dinner Tomorrow: Leftovers, Meet Pastry

I can’t think of many better things to do with leftovers than to put them in a pie and bake them. Beef stew, shrimp étouffée, pork verde—any of these can, and should, make a successful savory pie. You can simply fill a pie shell with the leftovers, or doctor them up for a new dish altogether.

By The Editors Published August 18, 2025

Chicken and Cauliflower Pie

For this next-day pie, I’ve bolstered the leftover paprikash filling with cauliflower which, like chicken, is one of paprika’s best friends. By par-cooking the florets in a skillet, you drive off some of its steaminess and amplify its nutty flavors. (If you’d rather par-cook the cauliflower in the microwave rather than the stovetop, zap it in a covered bowl with two tablespoons of water for about five minutes, stirring halfway through.) Use your favorite pie dough, omitting any sugar called for. Punching out circles in the dough offers ample ventilation so the cauliflower doesn’t go mushy. Toasted pine nuts tossed into the filling offer a delicate texture contrast, and a generous spoonful of capers adds surprising pops of briny complexity. Serve the pie with a few leaves of radicchio or endive that you’ve lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. The crunchy bitter greens lift the whole experience, making everything feel refreshed.

This recipe is part of “Dinner Tonight, Dinner Tomorrow.“

By The Editors Published August 18, 2025

Boneless Chicken Paprikash-ish

My version of paprikash is non-traditional in many ways (boneless chicken, a mix of sweet and smoked paprika, and the addition of cayenne for punch) so I call it Boneless Chicken Paprikash-ish. Feel free to substitute olive oil for all the butter in this recipe, it’s just as delicious. I use two kinds of paprika for a more complex mix of flavors, but it’s also delicious with four tablespoons of sweet paprika. If your skillet doesn’t have a cover, simply lay a square of foil over the simmering mixture and press it down lightly (don’t crimp it tightly shut). This recipe serves four, or two with just enough leftovers for the ensuing pie.

This recipe is part of “Dinner Tonight, Dinner Tomorrow.“

By The Editors Published July 28, 2025

Perfect? Pshaw. Just Cook It.

These days, many cookbooks trade mostly in vibes. They promise access to a life and a dinner table that’s a little bit glossier, a little bit fresher, a little bit more stylish than most dinner tables that most of us have ever sat at. But do they solve real-world problems? Not often enough. But it wasn’t always so.

By The Editors Published July 18, 2025

Little Fish Pies (Tucker Shaw’s Version)

Janet McKenzie Hill’s original 1918 recipe calls for barley flour, as wheat flour was strictly rationed at the time. This version favors wheat flour, which is easier to find these days than barley. This version specifies milk rather than fish broth; I find the result more satisfying.

By The Editors Published July 18, 2025

No-Salt Slow-Roasted Salmon with Oranges and Ginger

Clarissa Dickson-Wright, the esteemed culinary scholar who became famous as half of the Two Fat Ladies team of TV cooks, cited 17th-century English cook Robert May as one of the first to codify preparing salmon with slices of orange. Layering it under and over the fish produces sweet, soft, juicy flesh, with a pleasant warm acidity and faint but welcome bitter note.

Be sure to harvest the zest before you peel the oranges. In this version, I make up for the missing salt with a few extra flavor bombs: fresh ginger for a little punch, nutmeg for its mysterious background bolstering effect, shallot for its sharp bite, toasted sesame seeds for a roasty crunch, and a ton of cilantro for pizzaz. If you don’t love cilantro, (you’re not alone), chop up some chives instead, or tarragon, or mint, or whatever. It’s your dinner.



This recipe is from Tucker Shaw’s piece, “Turns Out Not Eating Salt Is Not the End of the World.”

By The Editors Published April 11, 2024

No-Salt Toasted Farro Salad with Spice-Roasted Squash, Kale Ribbons, and Pickled Onion

It feels silly to be too prescriptive with this dish. No reason you can’t use sweet potato instead of squash, or chard instead of kale. And for that matter, if farro’s not your thing, ditch it in favor of barley, quinoa, wild rice, or any grain that floats your fancy. If you feel like tossing in some roasted garlic, or roasted shallot, some low-sodium chickpeas, or even some chopped up bits of apple, who’s to stop you?

By The Editors Published April 11, 2024

No-Salt Crunchy Tofu Sticks with Chimichurri

Experiment with different ratios of ingredients in the chimichurri. I love parsley, so I lean heavily on it here, but if you’re a big fan of cilantro, adjust accordingly. Although I am generally suspicious of dried herbs, the dried oregano here adds a much more intense flavor than fresh. If tofu is not your thing, use this chimichurri on anything from steak to scrambled eggs.

By The Editors Published April 11, 2024

No-Salt Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Tomatoes and Tahini

Roasting plum tomatoes concentrates them into intense, complex, sweet-tannic little bites. To avoid salt in the meatballs, I use no-sodium matzo meal instead of bread crumbs—check the label to be sure it contains no sodium. If you can’t find matzo meal, just blitz a few matzo squares in the food processor. Use dark turkey meat for juicier meatballs, or lamb, if you like lamb.

By The Editors Published April 11, 2024