Rabbit is not only appetizing, but it’s also nutritious with small amounts of sodium and cholesterol. It’s also one of the best survival food during emergencies. Often regarded as a stronger form of chicken, rabbit meat has a faint gamey, sweet flavor, and an enjoyable texture.
Let’s find out how to cook rabbit the best way (you’ll like some of these recipes).
Table of Contents
- 1 What is the Best Way to Cook Rabbit?
- 2 What’s the difference in flavor between farmed and wild rabbit?
- 3 Things to consider when buying a rabbit
- 4 How to Cook Rabbit
- 5 Cooking rabbit in the oven
- 6 What should I cook rabbit with?
- 7 How can I cook rabbit?
- 8 How Do You Make Rabbit Tender?
- 9 Can you cook rabbit medium rare?
- 10 Is it Healthy to Eat Rabbit?
- 11 Finally
What is the Best Way to Cook Rabbit?
It’s easy and simple, but, first off, let’s start with where you get your rabbits.
What’s the difference in flavor between farmed and wild rabbit?
Wild rabbit comes with a more profound flavor compared to their farmed counterparts. If you prefer more of a white meat, soak wild rabbits in cold water for approximately 3 hours to brighten them.
More helpful reading:
- How to Skin a Squirrel in 5 Steps + Clean & Cook the Meat
- How to Make a Snare Trap (Step by Step Build, Set, Tie, & Wire)
Things to consider when buying a rabbit
Before buying a cooking rabbit, you want to be sure that it’s going to be good to eat. Here are some of the things you need to watch out for.
- Choose the pink and plump rabbits that look fresh and have a pleasant smell
- Make sure the eyes are clear and bright
- Check for lead ammunition damage or bruised flesh and avoid it as much as possible. It will have a nasty, bitter flavor
- Are the rabbit kidneys still intact? If they are, check whether they’ve enough white fat around them. This would be an indication of a healthy and young rabbit that fed on plenty of great food.
- If you’re buying wild rabbits, it’s worth noting that they have more flavor because of their free-range lifestyle
How to Cook Rabbit
You can cook rabbit in all sorts of ways. For instance, a good rabbit recipe can be baked, roasted, braised in a casserole, or stew to make the cut moist and pleasant. The rabbit’s gamey flavor makes it a popular ingredient in different dishes such as pâtés et rillettes, and terrines.
You can use a rabbit ragu to make a fantastically tasty pasta sauce dish. If it’s time to try something more adventurous and different, mince rabbit meat and make burgers or incorporate the rabbit pieces in a curry.
Before Cooking
Take some time to thaw the frozen rabbit, and bring it to room temperature before cooking. Remember, the meat is lean and likely to dry easily.
Do You Soak Rabbit Before Cooking?
If you’re preparing wild rabbit and prefer more of a white meat than that game flavor, take a little time and soak your rabbit pieces for about 3 hours.
After frying rabbit
Leave the dish to rest before you can serve. Doing so helps retain juices and makes it tastier. Young rabbits are ideal for roasting and you can also use them when trying some of the best-fried rabbit recipes. Don’t forget the animal’s kidneys, heart, and liver as they’re quite delicious and good candidates for pan-fried rabbit recipes.
Cooking rabbit in the oven
Here is a great dish and one best ways to cook rabbit in the oven.
Ingredients
1 chopped onion
Between 1 and 3 pounds of well cleaned and diced rabbit meat
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
Salt to taste
4 teaspoons of white sugar
A quarter cup of vegetable oil
A clove of garlic
Additional, but optional ingredients
¾ cup of ketchup
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
A tablespoon of paprika
A cup of water
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees centigrade
Season the rabbit pieces with pepper and salt. You can skip pepper depending on your preferences.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Add the diced rabbit meat and brown all sides well.
Place the cut meat in a 9 x 13-inch baking casserole.
In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour over the meat
Bake uncovered inside the oven for 90 minutes.
Keep basting it frequently until the meat is tender.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool before serving your cooked rabbit with your preferred accompaniment
You can also add wine to this recipe for a great complex flavor.
Fried Rabbit Recipe
Frying is also one of the most popular recipes for cooking rabbit.
Here‘s a great dish and how to go about making it.
Ingredients
4 diced cottontails
2 tablespoons of your preferred seasoning. Try mixing 2 teaspoons of thyme, 2 teaspoons of oregano, and a teaspoon of dried parsley to make your homemade seasoning.
2 cups of buttermilk
A tablespoon of garlic powder
A tablespoon of paprika
2 cups of flour
2 cups of vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Direction
Mix your buttermilk with all spices with an exception of flour and salt. Place rabbit meat inside the mixture and coat it well before setting it aside in a covered container for approximately 4 hours or overnight.
To fry your meat, pour oil in a large frying pan, preferably cast iron on medium-high heat. The oil should be approximately an inch in depth.
Take your rabbit pieces out of the buttermilk mixture and allow it to drain. You don’t need to shake it off
The oil should heat up to approximately 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Test it by sprinkling flour on it. If it sizzles immediately it’s ready for use.
Once the oil is ready, pour your flour and salt inside a plastic bag and shake it well. Throw in some pieces of rabbit and shake them well to ensure they’re well coated.
Put the rabbit pieces in hot oil one by one.
Fry for 8 to 12 minutes before turning and ensure they’re golden brown
Repeat the process with your remaining pieces of cut meat
When you’re done, allow the cut of meat to rest over paper towel on a rack set to drain excess oil
Serve with your favorite accompaniment
What should I cook rabbit with?
Often, rabbits can be prepared as rabbit stew. The nice thing about stew is that you won’t need complex ingredients to give it a flavorful and bold texture.
Some flavors I like that can be included in rabbit meat include garlic, sage, rosemary, parsley, prunes and ginger. If you’d like, you can also pair your meat with other similar dishes (like chicken) just as we’ve seen above.
Are you aware that adding a spicy mustard dressing can improve the taste of your dish? Some people like to accompany their cut of meat with cream and cider based sauces, while others eat it with a spicy dark chocolate sauce. Trust the power of chocolate to blend well with gamey meat.
Rabbit meat is a popular delicacy in Italy which is why many of its recipes are served with polenta or pasta. If you want a lighter dish, take some time to accompany your rabbit meat with a green vegetable salad such as petit pois, spinach, braised lettuce, or asparagus.
How to Prepare Rabbit Videos
How can I cook rabbit?
There are many methods of cooking rabbit as we’ve mentioned above. In short time, you can research several different recipes online. Try different methods every time you cook rabbit meat to enhance your cooking skills. For instance, you can boil it for a simple and quick meal. If you want to be more adventurous try one of the recipes given above.
How Do You Make Rabbit Tender?
While rabbit meat is lean, you can cook it in a slow cooker (like a crock pot) over time. This makes it tender and brings out the flavors well. If you’re practicing healthy eating, then slow cooking is one of the best food preparation methods you can use. What’s more, the nutrients aren’t destroyed.
Can you cook rabbit medium rare?
Cook your rabbit meat just as you would chicken. Compared to beef, rabbit meat comes with a richer flavor. Consider cooking it quickly over high heat and serve medium rare or rare.
Is it Healthy to Eat Rabbit?
Rabbits are quite good for you and are just a bit stronger in flavor than chicken.
Finally
Are you searching for more rabbit recipes? You can also just boil rabbit and eat it as is. People are different and so are their preferences. While some prefer spicy foods, others are comfortable with eating boiled food. Rabbit meat is not only tasty, but, like chicken, it’s also a healthy source of proteins.
More helpful reading:
Free Ebook!
