If you haven’t yet tried the Italian-ish sounding recipe “pesto eggs,” then maybe now’s the time. The scent of ripe basil and toasted pine nuts. The sound of an egg gently frying in olive oil. It's intoxicating.
“Pesto Eggs” have ruled the roost since April when Amy Wilichowski, a 24-year-old Boston native, posted a cooking demonstration of a fried egg simmering in pesto on TikTok.
“You must try pesto eggs,” she wrote. “They will change your life.”
Millions of views and several interviews later with popular websites like Today.com, the American recipe has inspired hundreds of spin-offs by recipe bloggers, tastemakers, and even actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba. If TikTok recipes were ranked, this craving would likely be competing with the baked feta pasta craze from earlier this year. (That dish's creator has now spawned a new trend that has people air frying pasta to make “pasta chips.”)
But an egg lathered in fried pesto would be an unlikely pairing in Italian cuisine. Recipes typically marry the basil sauce with a starch, like trofie pasta or potato gnocchi. When Genoese basil is not on hand, marjoram or parsley are approved substitutes in the mixture of pine nuts, salt, pepper, olive oil, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The recipe’s conceptual origins can be traced back to Romans and many cite the first documented recipe of Genovese pesto from Cuciniera Genovese by G.B. Rosso in 1863.
According to interviews with Wilichowski, her pesto eggs recipe came about from a desire to cook eggs in a different type of oil. An aromatic basil-y extra virgin olive oil served just that purpose. Cooked on low-heat, Wilichowski discovered that pesto can cook an egg just right. (Preferably the fresh kind, not jarred.) It also turns a bit darker, so beware: This is not your Genovese nonna’s take.
Once cooked, the eggs are placed on toast and dolled up with ingredient toppers or bases, like pepperoncini and ricotta. Capitalizing on the avocado toast obsession, Wilichowski smeared the toasted bread with a layer of ricotta and mashed avocado, followed by the fried pesto eggs, pinches of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and then drizzled honey.
More Italian ingredients have caught on. Some replace ricotta with mozzarella or burrata. Red pesto instead of green. Arugula, balsamic vinegar, and raw tomato for a fresher taste.
As the recipe evolves, two things remain unchanged: Although the ingredients may be Italian in origin, this recipe is most definitely not Italian.