Rabbit

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I just remembered. Using rabbit as a substitute for the chicken in chicken cacciatore works really well. I'm going to guess that the original recipe used rabbit, because "hunter's rabbit" makes better sense to me than "hunter's chicken". :LOL:
 
I agree with Steve - rabbit tastes like Rabbit. Never had a farm raised one, only wild. I grew up on a farm and we used to catch them in traps to keep them out of the garden.
 
I've not had a lot of rabbit (not normally allowed because I have a pet one, but when my wife is out... :D), but my butcher shoots them sometimes. Definitely does not taste like chicken, but has a wonderfully, strong, meaty flavour to it. Very lean, too. Highly recommended.
 
Rabbit is popular here in Quebec, only I would hazard to say more so in the countryside where they would catch/shoot wild rabbits. Also they, like Jon, probably braise/stew them.

Domestic Rabbit at the grocers, goes for about $10.00 a pound. Which to my mind puts it in the same price range as duck. Their average weight is 3 lb which will feed 2 to 3 people.

Whole Chicken this week is $4.30 a lb. (average weight under 2 k)
Drumsticks - $4.20 a lb.
Thighs - $7.70 ...
Half Chicken - $2.50 ... on special this week! woo-hoo! saving $1.20
Cutlets (probably without the tenders) - $8.99 also on special from $10.20
Ground Chicken - $7.00

The above is this weeks pricing from one of our grocers web-sites.

Even the most expensive I can find is still much less then you are paying.
Free range, organic chicken does not even exceed $3 a pound. In most cases less than $2 a pound for organic. Free range just a bit more.
We buy the chicken that's on sale or I get two (2 pack) whole organic ones at Costco. I'm pretty sure they are less than $1.75 a pound and very good.
We are not chicken snobs, so if its on sale, its on the stove.
 
There is a huge difference between domestic rabbit and wild hare. Though I have not had either one in some 20 years I used to be a big fan of both. Wild hare does well stewed in sour cream.
Domestic rabbit is good seasoned, dredged in some flour, fried on both sides for no more than couple of minutes and then stewed in red wine. Or even like a regular stew. Rear legs being the tastiest and the more tender part. Important thing is not to overcook, otherwise it is like white meat from chicken becomes very dry and very tough.
 
I too have eaten my share of rabbit, both wild and tame. As noted by the others, it has no fat, and so has to be cooked with care. Farm raised rabbit is similar to chicken, but a bit different. It needs to be seasoned, and simmered with aromatics such as onion and celery. My Stepfather made the best rabbit ever. I've also cooked wild rabbit over an open campfire with just salt and pepper. It benefits from the smoke.

Cooked improperly, both wild and its tamer cousin can be rather chewy. And depending on what the wild rabbit has been eating, it can have a very mild flavor, or be very gamey.

Again, there is a reason that rabbit stew is so popular, it braises the rabbit and keeps it from becoming very dry and tough. And yes, as far as edible meat is concerned, it is considered a white meat, like turkey or chicken.

The same herbs that work with poultry, such as sage, thyme, rosemary, etc., work well with rabbit too.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Rabbit and hare might be considered white meat for cooking purposes, but they are mammals, so they are red meat. I believe they are red meat for health considerations.
 
Rabbit is very common in the Mediterranean and especially in Malta, where it is called Fenek.

It is frequently served with Dry Red Wine, Veal or Turkey or Chicken stock, onion, garlic, bay leaves, Evoo and it is braised ..

Wild rabbit ( not Hare ) has very White meat and is very tender when cooked properly and is much lighter tasting than chicken .. Distinct from poultry.

It is a Traditional Maltese Specialty ..

Good luck .. The Price in Barcelona for 1 kilo: 6 Euros a Kilo for farm raised and 10 Euros a kilo for wild, cleaned and beheaded ..
 
Rabbit Quick Recipe which is very common in Barcelona and Toledo ..

1 Kilo rabbit
3 cloves garlic minced
1 fresh sprig of thyme
4 Tblsps. dry White wine of choice
12 saffron threads ( will give an amazing color to the rabbit pieces )
Evoo
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Unbleached flour or chick pea flour to dredge - dust the rabbit in Evoo

Chick pea flour prevents the entrance to the Evoo into the rabbit pieces and therefore you have no Evoo oil seepage into your meat and it will not be greasy ..

Have a nice evening.
 
Last edited:
Just seen a recipe on TV

They are cooking Rabbit. Never had it before and don't know what it tastes like.

Is it expensive, relative to chicken for example?

They say it is white meat. I say this only I have had a bit of a cnacer scare and told not to eat red meat.

I think it is more to do with processed food like a steak pie though.
Depends on weather it's farmed or wild. And if wild it depends on the age.

I like it very much (although I don't buy farmed rabbit). A friend has an arrangement with a local farmer to cull the rabbits on his land. (Friend is ex-army so is safe with a gun - what am I SAYING!!!) In this instance we can't depend on the rabbit's age so I casserole/stew it (usually in red wine). Need to be aware of shot in the flesh as well. The flavour isn't strong normally but I find it a little tastier than chicken unless said chicken is free-range and older than your average supermarket bird.

Some "proper" butchers have them in season, ready skinned and will portion them for you (at least my butcher does)

Beware also of trapped rabbits. You don't know how long the animal was in the trap either alive or dead and that's cruel.
 
Last edited:
I confit rabbit in duck fat. It has bags of flavour that way. I do it exactly the same way as I would using duck legs. A real treat and will keep for a couple of weeks left in the fat and kept in the fridge. Never gets to stay that long in our house though!
 
I raise rabbits for food, farm raised rabbit, skinless chicken breast, whichever, only the shape of the pieces of meat is different. Us it the same way, cook it the same. If you are hunting or raising your own, you do need to skin and gut it, then refrigerate 8 to 10 hours and let the rigamortis come off the carcass before cutting it up and cooking it, it's a good deal more tender that way. Cooked too soon and it can be tough.

If you must cook one right after it's killed, I suggest a slow braise in a light gravy, or slow cooker rabbit stew.
 
Back
Top Bottom