Pesto Eggs

We've been thinking about pesto eggs.

And why people are going nuts for them on social media. I tried them yesterday...I mean, they're nice but not a game-changing lifesaver as some Instagrammers seem to think. It tastes like pesto on eggs. Here's the recipe if you fancy it.

Anyone else up for coming up with a viral trend based on 2 completely average household ingredients? Think marmite toast! Ham and mustard! Reply to this email with your suggestion and we'll try to make it go viral.

This week's tip: Grate stuff

from Paul Foster, chef owner of Michelin Starred Salt

You know when you're grating cheese and it's going everywhere but the bowl? Yeah...you're doing it wrong.

Turn the grater on its side, and let the cheese gather inside. When you're done, simply tip over your container.

This week's recipe: Crab Crostini

from our queen Nigella

It's coming up to garden party season, and this recipe could not be more perfect. Summery and spicy, it always goes down a treat. One of those canapés that actually ruins your main course because everyone gets too full...

Best to make the crab mixtre ahead of time, and then spoon onto the tortilla chips as guests arrive - otherwise the chips go soggy.

​Serves 8 (although I find people lose their heads around this stuff and you end up making double).

• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 2 red chilli, deseeded & chopped
• 300g white crabmeat
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• Big handful of coriander, chopped
• Fresh lime
• Salt and pepper
• Big bag plain salted tortilla chips

• Combine the first 5 ingredients, being careful as you stir so as not to mash the beautiful flaky texture out of the crab. Add the sour cream slowly - you don't want it to be sloppy; stop when everything is combined evenly.
• Add lime juice to taste. If you like it limey, add the zest as well. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Spoon onto tortilla chips as your guests arrive, and watch them disappear.

Your questions answered

from Kerth Gumbs, head chef extraordinaire at Ormer Mayfair

"How can I make sure the fish I'm buying is fresh?" from David

Great question - first off, go by smell. If it's really fishy, then it ain't fresh. Next, look at the eyes. They should be bright and bulging, not milky white or sunken.

Ok, let's go further detective! Get the fishmonger to show you the gills - are they pink and moist (rather than greyish)? Then you know it's fresh (and the fishmonger will think you're a pro).

When you get it home, you'll know you've bought a fresh fish when it's not slimey or sticky, and the flesh bounces back when you prod it with your finger.

If you want to learn how to cook fish as well as buy it, you can buy my masterclass here.

This week's recommendation

You guys seemed to love our Salt guide from last week, so we're coming in hot with the Banquist Guide to Sharpening Knives (Part One).

First of all, keeping your knives sharp is really important. Fundamentally it comes down to safety. It's counterintuitive, but a blunt knife is far more dangerous than a really sharp one. Blunt knives have a tendency to slip on whatever you're cutting, so you end up chopping areas you didn't expect to....*cough cough* your fingers.

But how do you keep the damn things sharp?! Well there's a few things to bare in mind. Starting with the quality of your knife, if you've got a cheapo knife you're basically signing up to a limited life-span. They're cheap for a reason and they're going to be pretty difficult to keep sharp even with the best maintenance.

Now there's two parts to knife maintenance. Honing and sharpening.... yup they're not the same! Honing involves using a steel to realign the edge of the blade. Over time, your blade will start to feel dull because the sharp edge becomes misaligned. Whereas, with sharpening you're creating a new edge.

For honing, we recommend a heavy steel at least 9 inches long. On your steel, you'll see loads of little ridges which gently guide the blade back into alignment as your knife slides along it.

Tune in next week fellow knife nerds for how to perfectly hone a knife! For now, i'll leave you with this hilarious article by Giles Coren on why you shouldn't put your knives facing up in the dishwasher....