A whole chicken baked in a salt crust seals in steam and flavor, leaving the meat impossibly tender. Tonight you're using up that quarter box of salt in the best way: as an edible shell that seasons the bird from the outside in. Serve with roasted vegetables or a bitter green salad to cut the richness.

Serves 2. 75 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 170 calories a serving, 21 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

1. Heat the oven to 450°F [230°C]. Mix 2 cups salt with 1 teaspoon pepper and beat in 2 eggs until the mixture looks wet sand; it should hold together when squeezed. Pat the chicken dry inside and out, stuff the cavity with the lemon cut in half, and spread half the salt mixture over the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Nestle the chicken on top of the salt bed and pack the remaining salt mixture all over the bird, covering it completely except for the tips of the legs. Roast for 60 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F [74°C].60 min
3. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then crack the salt crust with a spoon or small hammer and brush away the pieces to expose the skin underneath. Carve and serve with the pan juices on the side.

Note Swap a spatchcock chicken if you have one; reduce roasting time to 40 minutes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days; pick the meat from the bones and use it in grain bowls or soup. Serve with roasted root vegetables or a salad of bitter greens and citrus.

A cacio e pepe riff that uses the last of the salt as both seasoning and the point of the dish. The salt draws moisture from egg yolk, concentrating its richness. This is the weeknight answer when you need to cook from almost nothing.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 600 calories a serving, 25 g protein, 68 g carbohydrate, 25 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily with 2 tablespoons salt. Cook 6 ounces pasta until one minute short of tender, then set aside 1 cup pasta water and drain.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat them with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until the salt has dissolved and the yolks look cured and thick, about one minute.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a wide pan over medium heat until it foams. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat, then pour in the egg mixture off heat. Stir constantly, adding pasta water one tablespoon at a time until the eggs coat the noodles in a silky sauce, about two minutes.
4. Grate 2 ounces Pecorino Romano over the top and toss once more. Divide between two bowls and serve at once.

Note Swap Pecorino for any hard aged cheese if you have it. Leftovers do not keep well; this is best eaten hot. Serve with a green salad dressed in oil and vinegar, or eat on its own.

A simple, elegant dish built on the shelf's salt shaker and staple eggs. Salt-curing the yolk overnight gives it a firm, rich texture that tastes of the sea, and a quarter of the shaker empties into the crust. Serve over wilted greens for a light dinner.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 250 calories a serving, 11 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 22 g fat. From USDA figures for 67% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

1. Separate the yolks from four eggs, reserving the whites for another use. Mix one cup of salt with two tablespoons of water until it resembles wet sand. Spread half the salt mixture in a small bowl or on a plate, nestle the four yolks into it, and cover them completely with the remaining salt. Refrigerate for at least eight hours or overnight; the yolks will firm up and cure.
2. Rinse the cured yolks under cold water and pat them dry. Brush a large skillet with two tablespoons of oil and set it over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add six ounces of bitter greens torn into large pieces and cook, stirring, until they wilt and any excess moisture evaporates, three to four minutes.
3. Push the greens to the side of the skillet. Mince two garlic cloves and add them to the oil, cooking until fragrant, about thirty seconds while the greens finish. Season the greens with a pinch of salt and one-quarter teaspoon of pepper.
4. Divide the greens between two bowls. Slice each cured yolk into quarters and arrange them over the greens. Drizzle any remaining oil from the skillet over each plate and serve while the greens are warm.

Note The cured yolks keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to two weeks and are excellent crumbled over salads or pasta. Make double the yolks next time to have them on hand. Serve with bread to soak up the oil.