Escarole Caesar With Sardines and Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• ½ cup blanched hazelnuts
• 1 3.75-oz. can sardines, drained
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
• 1½ oz. Piave cheese or Parmesan, divided
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 large head or 2 small heads of escarole (about 1½ lb.), wilted outer leaves removed, inner leaves torn into large pieces
• Lemon wedges (for serving)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until deep golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool, then crush or coarsely chop.
2. Open each sardine with the tip of a paring knife, prying the fillets apart. Remove any bones. Finely chop 2 sardines and transfer to a large bowl. Add garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and ½ tsp. pepper and whisk to combine. Finely grate 1 oz. Piave (about two-thirds) into bowl and add mayonnaise and oil; whisk to combine. Season dressing with salt.
3. Add escarole and three-fourths of hazelnuts to bowl with dressing and toss well to coat; season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide salad among plates, top with remaining hazelnuts. Shave remaining ½ oz. Piave over and break remaining sardines into smaller pieces and scatter on top. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.