Is There A Michelin Star Pesto Recipe?

Short answer
While there is no such thing as a "Michelin-star pesto recipe," that doesn't mean that several Michelin-starred chefs haven't attempted to add a touch of flair to the traditional recipe.

Long answer
Widely regarded as one of the best chefs in the world, the 3 Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura ruffled a few feathers when he recommended switching the usual pine nuts for breadcrumbs. If he was French or Spanish, there may not have been too much of a backlash, but for an Italian chef to "mess" with pesto in this way caused quite the ruckus.

Massimo Bottura's Pesto Recipe

Not immune to a little controversy surrounding his CV and management style, Simon Martin bought Manchester its first Michelin star in decades with his restaurant Mana, which was heaped with praise by food critics. His English summer-inspired pesto is one of the more daring we've seen, thanks to its use of parsley, lemon thyme, elderflower, and Doddington cheese. In an interview with I Love MCR, Martin explained his approach to cooking, which is to take something humble and well-known and reimagine it to celebrate the best of locally grown produce.

Simon Martin's Pesto Recipe

On the Great British Chefs website, Michelin-starred Adam Gray shared his recipe for pesto. It's the most traditional on this list for sure, although switching half the basil for parsley is not something you will find traditionalists condone.

Adam Gray's Pesto Recipe

The two-star Michelin-starred chef Josiah Citrin makes avocado the star of the show in his pesto recipe. Rocket and spinach join basil, cashews replace pine nuts, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice is added for good measure.

Josiah Citrin's Pesto Recipe

Angela Harnett, a Michelin-starred chef and protégée of Gordon Ramsay, is known for her informal and unfussy approach to cooking. She's therefore not the first chef we would naturally think of to collaborate on a jarred pesto. By their very nature, long-life food products require super-precise ingredient measurements and many additional ingredients that you would never dream of putting into a fresh product.

Nevertheless, in 2023, Harnett partnered with Belazu to launch a limited-edition Sicilian-inspired pesto that reflected the island's North African influence. The main ingredient was onion, followed by raisins, rapeseed oil, and thirteen other ingredients, including capers, sunflower seeds, water, and saffron.

Angela Harnett's Sicilian Pesto Recipe