Hank Shaw+

Consider the Carp

America’s most hated fish deserves another look

An Omnivore's Dilemma

Exploring the uncertainties of wild foods

How to Make an Herb Oil

Use this as a master recipe

Salt, Sugar, Vinegar, Oil, Vodka

How to capture flavor and make it your own

Dark at the End of the Tunnel

It rained yesterday.

Three Foragers Go Fishing

What three experts, three Spidermen and one giant brown trout taught me about friendship

Coins from Everywhere

I went to Scotland searching for where my family began. I came home thinking about where I belong

Skipping the Shark

Why the weirdest food is rarely the most real

A New Buck, Buck, Moose is Coming

This one’s for you.

The Food of the North

Reflections on journeys in Iceland and Scotland

Dream Team

When the sum is greater than the parts

I Am Filled with Lovage

An ode to my favorite herb

Things are Tough All Over

People are tightening their belts, as am I.

Charlie Maple and the Bunnies

Creating a native prairie in the anthropocene

Against Moral Monoculture

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

In Defense of the Chicken

$0.99 per pound chicken is not a God-given right

All Hail the Holy Walleye!

Why the Upper Midwest built a culture, a cuisine, a religion around a goggle-eyed fish

Spring's Frenetic Frolic

...and so it begins

Mise en Place

Why everything that matters happens before you begin

Humbled. Exposed. Seen.

This is crazy.

When Everything Depends on Someone Else

On blocked momentum and the frustration of waiting on others

Raw Dogging Life

The case for leaving your mind alone once in a while

On Killing

The Intimacy of Death and What It Means to Take a Life

Crackin' Nuts, Part II

The joys and perils of hyperfocus

Join My New Subscriber Chat

A private space for us to converse and connect

AMA: Salmon, Risotto, Slow Cookers and More

Or where I attempt to answer all your questions...

Ask Me Anything... No, Really!

One of many benefits for paid subscribers

Minnesota Meat Raffle

A Midwestern phenomenon I can get behind...

Crackin' Nuts

The quiet burden of unfinished things

Freezer Tyranny

Stage fright, planes on the tarmac, and my changing relationship with food

Reconnecting with Old Friends

What happens when you revisit lost relationships, human and otherwise

Seed Dreaming

For the past couple weeks, whenever I sit down at my dining room table to wolf down a bowl of this or that solo, I eat while paging through seed catalogs.

Talking it Through

Understanding requires effort -- and empathy

Culinary Hunts 2026

Here's our hunt schedule at last!

Tragedy of the Common

I am sitting here eating Triscuits and cheese and several slices of a wild boar salami I made from a hog killed in Oklahoma in December.

Channeling Chumbawamba

Or, how to be OK with sucking at something...

New Hunter Challenges

Talking about the challenges a new hunter faces, which I am intimately familiar with because I faced them myself. This little bit is just a small part of my Venison 101 Video Class, which you can subscribe to here: https://join.outdoorclass.com/instructors/hank-shaw If you use SHAW at checkout, you get 20% off! Makes a fantastic last-minute gift since there's no shipping!

Making Sobaqueras in Hermosillo, Mexico

Tortillas de agua, or sobaqueras, are a specialty of Sonora. They are very difficult to make, but at Tortilleria San Ramon in the Hermosillo neighborhood of Villa de Seris, they do it with skill and finesse. Maybe someday I will be able to do this, but it will take a ton of practice!

How to Pluck a Pheasant

How to pluck a pheasant without tearing the skin. This video is a companion to the article I've written about this skill on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. https://honest-food.net/how-to-clean-pheasant/ The bottom line is that you need to keep the bird cool for a couple days before plucking so the feathers come off easier, and you need to take your time when you are just starting out. It gets faster as you do more birds. This technique works for all upland birds, not just pheasants, so grouse, partridges and quail, too.

Takeaways from Venison 101 Course

What I hope viewers get out of the Venison 101 masterclass I just released with OutdoorClass. Bottom line: I want to help make you a better wild game cook, starting with deer, elk, pronghorn and other big game animals. More details on the class here: https://join.outdoorclass.com/instructors/hank-shaw

Rubbing Corn to Make Nixtamal

Once you've boiled corn in a (cal) calcium hydroxide solution, and then let it rest overnight, you need to rub the kernels to remove the pericarp to make nixtamal. Here's how I do it. More details here: https://honest-food.net/how-to-make-nixtamal-nixtamalization/

VENISON 101: The Video Course

My video course with OutdoorClass is up and running. https://join.outdoorclass.com/instructors/hank-shaw I am super stoked about this -- it's a "Masterclass" style online video course that covers a bit of butchery, and a lot of cooking techniques, with some of my signature dishes thrown in. More details in the above link. What's more, if you use the code SHAW at checkout, you get 20% off the $99 subscription. If you use the code HANK at checkout, you get a copy of my cookbook Buck, Buck, Moose, which is the companion to the video course. I'd be super grateful if you'd share this post with so

Chile Colorado

Classic Southwest chile colorado, made with beef or venison. The "colorado" in this recipe refers to the color, not the state. It's a rich, chile-based stew related to Texas chili: Warming, hearty, but not blow-your-head-off spicy. Head over to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook for the full recipe: https://honest-food.net/chile-colorado-recipe/

Ground Pork Larb

A Hmong style ground pork larb on lettuce cups: https://honest-food.net/hmong-larb-recipe/ Great for hot weather. Ground pork, lemongrass, chiles, toasted, ground rice, and lots of herbs. If you don't eat pork, any ground meat will work.

Pickled Okra

This is what you want to see when you have packed your okra into a jar and covered it with the vinegar solution. Piercing the tops of the okra allows the liquid to get inside the okra, so it pickles correctly and stays crunchy.

How to Twist Off Sausage Links

This is how I make sausage links when I am making sausage in casings. You stuff the whole casing first, then pinch off a link. Spin it around and around a few times away from you, then move down the coil to pinch another. This time spin it towards you. Alternate as you go down the coil. This helps prevent the links from unraveling. You'll find lots of sausage recipes over on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/fresh-sausages/

Salmon Chowder

A hearty, easy salmon chowder, Pacific Northwest style. Like a New England style chowder but brothier, I also add sweet corn and fresh herbs to brighten things up. I also like to make a salmon broth first so I make good use of the bones and head -- you don't have to, but it makes a better salmon chowder. Head over to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook for the full recipe: https://honest-food.net/salmon-chowder-recipe/

Classic Wiener Schnitzel

Classic Austrian wiener schnitzel is deceptively simple, but there are a few tricks. You want the breading to puff up a little, and the meat, veal traditionally, to be cooked through, but tender. Pork, chicken, turkey or pheasant breast are all good meat options. Head over to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook for the full recipe: https://honest-food.net/wiener-schnitzel-recipe/

Enchiladas Rojas, Red Chile Enchiladas

Classic red chile enchiladas, enchiladas rojas, filled with chicken, beans, shredded venison or pork, you name it. These are easy to make and great for potlucks or Sunday dinner. For the full recipe, head over to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: https://honest-food.net/enchiladas-rojas-red-enchiladas-recipe/

Basic, Easy Ceviche

A super simple ceviche recipe that works with most fish. Be sure to read this article first before making your ceviche: https://honest-food.net/ceviche-recipe-safety-parasites-2/ It tells you how to make ceviche safely -- some fish carry parasites that can make you sick, and nobody wants that. Short version: Freeze your fish first. That helps a lot.

Alabama White Sauce

Classic Alabama white barbecue sauce, usually for chicken. A combination of mayo, vinegar, mustard and spices, it's an easy, no-cook sauce ready in minutes. Head over to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook for the full recipe: https://honest-food.net/alabama-white-sauce-recipe/