Caesar salad with sardines

A cool and original way to try sardines in a Caesar roll:

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• ½ cup blanched hazelnuts
• 1 can of sardines , use drained
• 1 clove of garlic, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 mustard (Dijon is recommended)
• ½ teaspoon or a little more freshly ground black pepper
• 50 gr of Piave or Parmesan grated cheese
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1 large head or
• 2 small heads of escarole lettuce (about 50 gr.), withered outer leaves should be removed, inner leaves torn into large pieces
• Lemon slices

Method of preparation:

Preparation of hazelnuts: Blanch hazelnuts - pour boiling water over them and leave for 1-2 minutes. Afterwards, drain and peel off the skin if necessary. Toast the nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until lightly golden. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop or mash.

Preparing the sardine sauce: Drain the sardines and place them in a bowl. Add a finely grated garlic clove, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, freshly ground black pepper, grated Piave or Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise. Add the extra virgin olive oil and mix everything well until you get a homogeneous sauce. Season with salt if necessary.

Salad preparation: Clean and tear escarole lettuce leaves into large pieces. Place the leaves in a bowl and gently toss with the sardine sauce so that all the leaves are well coated.

Serving: Place the salad on plates, sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts, and garnish with lemon slices. You can additionally sprinkle some grated cheese on top.

Delicious!