Rabbit meat is famous for its dietary properties. Due to its high protein content, low fat content and “bad” cholesterol, rabbit meat surpasses pork, beef and even lamb in its properties. In numbers, this is even more clear: beef proteins are absorbed by 62%, and rabbit meat by 90%. This dietary meat is rich in vitamin PP, calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. The last element is especially important for a growing organism, and many children intuitively love rabbit meat. In addition to its energy benefits and dietary properties, rabbit meat is very tasty and easy to prepare.

It is interesting that hare meat (like rabbit meat) was not eaten in Rus' until the reforms of Patriarch Nikon. The beast was considered unclean, and Old Believers still adhere to these traditions. Even Jews do not eat rabbit meat. On the contrary, in Asia and Western Europe, rabbits have always been eaten, prepared in a variety of ways.

How to cook a rabbit? Let's consider the basic preparation scheme and the sequence of actions at each stage. It should be noted that not all parts of a rabbit carcass are equal. For example, the back part is better for frying, while the front part is better for boiling and stewing. The fatty parts can be baked.

Cutting

So, how to cook rabbit? The rabbit has been purchased, you have warmed it to room temperature, washed it and are ready for further action. Is it possible to bake the whole thing? It's possible, but it's not as tasty as a whole duck or goose. The rabbit will turn out better in parts, and it will be easier to cook. It should be divided into two parts (upper and lower) at the last lumbar vertebra. The powerful hind legs will go to the bottom, and everything else will go to the top. These groups can be prepared separately, together, or combined at the end into a whole dish. Each part (top and bottom) should be cut into small pieces. Cut the hind legs at the joints, leave the front legs whole. Divide the chest along with the spine into 3-4 parts. You can cut the meat from the belly and cut it into small (5 by 5 cm) pieces.

Pickling

The rabbit must be marinated. This will make it softer, more aromatic and tastier. Without the marinade, it will be a little tougher, and with an honest rabbit smell. Whoever likes it. An alternative to pickling is soaking in water. This simple operation will improve the properties of the meat and remove the smell. Soaking time is from 1 to 3 hours. You can add a little vinegar (wine or apple cider vinegar) to the water, but this is not necessary. Water makes rabbit meat less tough and reduces the specific smell, and this is already a lot. If possible, place the rabbit carcass in running water.

You can marinate in several ways:

• Vinegar. Wine vinegar (not acetic acid!) and spices are used. Usually vinegar is diluted in water or the water is slightly acidified with vinegar. The downside is that any vinegar, along with softening, reduces the natural flavor of the meat. Before cooking, the vinegar marinade should be washed off with water.
• White wine is one of the best pickling options. The wine almost completely removes the specific smell, softens and flavors the meat very well. The result is an exquisite dish with a delicate taste, pleasant aroma and very healthy properties. Sometimes red wine is used for pickling, for example in French cuisine. Also definitely with spices.
• Whey is a very good option. Whey is used for soaking and marinating hare meat, but is also suitable for rabbits. The meat noticeably softens and the bad smell is removed.
• Crushed garlic with olive oil is considered one of the classic marinade options for rabbit. You need quite a lot of garlic - 2 heads for a normal carcass. You can add a mixture of finely chopped herbs. The rabbit carcass must be rubbed with this mixture and refrigerated for 2-3 hours. Garlic will create a flavor contrast, soften the texture of the meat and will be an assistant in stewing in white wine.

Young or “store-bought” rabbits should be soaked only in water, whey or wine. Vinegar is used if the smell is really strong and unpleasant for some reason. In this case, vinegar muffles the smell, but at the same time makes the rabbit less expressive. This is why marinades with vinegar should be used carefully.

Spices

A rabbit can't live without spices. They can be added at the marinating stage (decoction or sprinkling) or immediately before cooking. There is a conditional list of “mandatory” spices and seasonings that are guaranteed to improve the taste of the rabbit; the rest can be added to taste.

Mandatory :

• Black pepper.
• Bay leaf.
• Salt.

Additional:

• Rosemary.
• Basil.
• Oregano.
• Dill.
• Parsley.
• Thyme (savory).
• Coriander.
• Cinnamon.
• Carnation.
• Celery.
• Lemon.
• Garlic.
• Juniper berries.

Black pepper, onion and bay leaf can be added both at the soaking stage and during the cooking process. Spices can and should even be added at the soaking stage. Especially if the rabbit is marinated for more than 3 hours.

Dishes

A whole rabbit is cooked quite rarely, this greatly simplifies the choice of dishes. Use a thick-walled frying pan and saucepan. For baking you will need a large pan or a roasting pan. You can simmer in a frying pan with high walls. For cooking - an enamel or steel pan. Consider the size of the rabbit. Some specimens reach 4 kilograms when cut. You may have to cook it in two steps. In this case, it is logical to cook the upper part of the carcass separately from the lower part.

Cooking time

It all depends on the cooking method. Soaking takes from 2 to 16 hours. Cutting and washing will take another 10 minutes. Frying chopped small pieces of the lower part in a well-heated frying pan for about 30 minutes, ribs and front legs for about 20 minutes. If you fry the belly separately, 5 minutes on each side. A well-marinated rabbit, chopped into small pieces, is baked at a temperature of 190 degrees for about 25-35 minutes. Stew in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. As a rule, the rabbit is not cooked for more than an hour. But if low temperatures are used, the time can be increased. Long-term heat treatment does not make rabbit meat softer, but the aroma and properties of the meat may deteriorate. When preparing, it is quite acceptable to use several types of processing. First, you can fry it in a hot frying pan and then simmer it. Frying can be replaced by boiling.

Rabbit is suitable for all types of heat treatment. This is a versatile meat suitable for boiling, stewing, frying, baking and grilling. It tastes best when stewed and baked. You can simmer it either in the oven or on the stove. The classic option is to cook it with sour cream. Sour cream performs several functions at once. Firstly, it softens the meat, working as a marinade; secondly, it prevents it from drying out (in case of baking); thirdly, sour cream allows you to preserve the flavor of the rabbit.

Rabbit under sour cream

Ingredients:
rabbit carcass,
500 g sour cream,
1 carrot,
2 tbsp. spoons of butter,
1 onion,
3-4 cloves of garlic,
herbs (oregano, thyme, basil),
caraway,
Bay leaf,
black pepper,
salt.

Preparation:
Cut the prepared rabbit carcass (marinated using any convenient method) into convenient portions. Fry in rabbit fat (if available) or vegetable oil. Transfer to a bowl (duck dish, large baking sheet). Cut the carrots into strips, the onion into rings or half rings. Sauté in butter and place on meat. Season with salt and pepper. Add ground cumin and bay leaf. Heat the sour cream in a water bath until liquid, pour in carefully along the side. Bring to a boil and place in an oven preheated to 160-180 degrees. For the first 15-20 minutes, pour the juices over the meat, then cover, reduce the temperature to 160 and simmer for another 25-35 minutes. Serve hot.

There are many recipes for cooking rabbits that cannot fit into the scope of this article, but the basic principles can be described in a few words. The rabbit allows itself to be cooked in a variety of ways; it only does not like high temperatures. Herbs are always suitable for rabbit, the choice of which is always at the discretion of the cook. In any case, thyme, oregano and basil will always be appropriate. It is recommended to serve and eat rabbit only hot. Dry or semi-dry red wines are suitable.

Rabbit with olives

Ingredients (4 servings):
rabbit (1.5-2 kg),
500 g tomatoes,
2 onions,
3 cloves of garlic,
100 g olives,
100-200 g white wine,
2 sweet peppers,
4 tbsp. spoons of olive oil,
herbs (thyme, rosemary, dill),
Bay leaf,
black pepper,
salt.

Preparation:
Rinse the meat in running water and dry with a towel. Peel the onion and garlic, rinse the greens and chop finely. Fry the rabbit pieces in a saucepan (in hot oil) for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper the meat. Add onion, garlic, herbs to the saucepan and fry everything for 3-4 minutes. Peel the tomatoes (by pouring boiling water over them), cut each in half, remove the cores and seeds and chop finely. Add tomatoes to the stewing meat, simmer for 3-4 minutes and pour in the wine. Bring the mixture to a boil, pepper and salt. After this, simmer for 25 minutes. 7-10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the sweet pepper cut into slices, and at the very end add the olives.

Now you know how to cook rabbit and delight your guests. Bon appetit!

Rabbit marinade can be made in different ways. In any case, such meat turns out very tasty and tender. Today we will present you with several recipes on how you can make a fragrant and juicy dish using rabbit.

The easiest marinade for rabbit in the oven

If you need to quickly and tasty make a rabbit meat dish, we recommend using the simplest marinade that does not include many expensive ingredients.

So, we need:

• lemon not too large ripe - 1 pc.;
• deodorized olive oil - about 50 ml;

Cooking method

To make a simple marinade, you need to thoroughly wash the ripe lemon, then cut it in half and squeeze the juice into an enamel bowl. You can also chop the entire fruit peel there. Next, you need to put deodorized olive oil, medium-sized sea salt and crushed black pepper into the bowl. If desired, you can add any other spices to the ingredients.

After all the products are in a common container, they must be mixed thoroughly. The resulting mass should be coated with the entire meat product, placed in a container and kept in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Next, you can safely start baking a delicious and aromatic rabbit.

Marinade for rabbit: recipe with table vinegar

If you prefer to eat spicy dishes, then the meat product should be soaked in a marinade prepared on the basis of table vinegar. It is impossible not to say that such an ingredient not only adds piquancy to the rabbit, but also makes it surprisingly soft and tender.

So what ingredients are needed to make a spicy rabbit marinade? The recipe for this dish recommends taking care of the following products in advance:

• filtered water at room temperature - a full glass;
• bitter onion - 2 small heads;
• 3% table vinegar - ½ cup;
• black allspice (in peas) - about 5 pcs.;
• aromatic cloves - 3-4 inflorescences;
• bay leaf - 2 medium-sized leaves;
• fine iodized salt - use to taste.

Cooking process

Marinade for rabbit using is prepared as easily and simply as the brine in the previous recipe. First you need to peel the heads of bitter onions, and then grind them into a paste using a blender. After this, you need to add table vinegar and filtered water at room temperature to the vegetable. After mixing the ingredients with a spoon, they should be flavored with small peas, aromatic clove inflorescences and bay leaves.

After the spicy marinade for the rabbit is ready, they need to pour over all the previously processed meat and keep it indoors for 1.5 hours. This time should be enough for the ingredient to absorb all the juices and aromas of the brine, becoming more juicy and tasty. Later, the rabbit can be fried in a frying pan or baked in the oven.

Making a spicy marinade

As mentioned above, rabbit marinade can be made using various ingredients. One of the most popular ways of preparing such meat is one that uses a large number of spices and seasonings. But first things first.

So, to create a spicy sauce we need:

• large fresh garlic - about 5 cloves;
• any deodorized oil - about ½ cup;
• balsamic vinegar (if not, you can use ½ glass of dry white wine) - about 6 large spoons;
• fine iodized salt, bay leaf, black peppercorns - use according to taste and desire;
• basil, parsley, rosemary, peppermint, thyme and oregano - use as desired and taste.

How to cook?

Marinated rabbit turns out to be more tasty, aromatic and tender than a meat product that was not pre-soaked in spicy brine. To prepare the presented dish yourself, you need to pour deodorized oil into a bowl, and then grate large cloves of garlic into it. After this, add fine iodized salt, black peas, as well as fragrant dried herbs such as parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and peppermint to the container. After mixing all the ingredients with a spoon, they should be left warm for ¼ hour. After this time, you need to rub the entire meat product with the marinade, and then leave it aside for 2 hours.

When the rabbit is completely saturated with the aromas of spices and herbs, it must be baked in the oven, stewed in a saucepan or fried in a frying pan. It should be noted that such a spicy dish turns out to be very tasty, nutritious and satisfying.

Preparing honey marinade

Rabbit marinated in honey is most suitable for baking in the oven. This dish turns out to be very tender and soft, as well as appetizingly rosy. It can be safely served at a gala table as the main festive dinner. For this we need:

• any fresh honey - about 5 large spoons;
• soy sauce - 5 large spoons;
• fresh small garlic - 4 cloves;
• red onion - large head;
• bay leaf - 2 medium leaves;
• any seasonings intended for baking a meat product in the oven - 2 dessert spoons;
• black peppercorns, aromatic cloves, fresh herbs, chopped cinnamon - use according to taste and desire.

How to do it?

How to marinate a rabbit so that it turns out not only aromatic and tasty, but also acquires an appetizing crust during heat treatment in the oven? Of course, in honey.

To prepare this marinade, crush fresh garlic cloves with a press, and then mix them with finely chopped red onions and soy sauce. After this, you need to add crushed bay leaves, any fresh honey, seasonings intended for meat, as well as black peppercorns, clove inflorescences, fresh herbs and cinnamon to the ingredients. After mixing the products, coat the entire rabbit with it, keep it indoors for a couple of hours, and then put it in the oven.

Marinate meat in dairy products

Marinade for rabbit in sour cream should be prepared using ingredients such as:

• high fat kefir - a full glass;
• sour cream 30% thick - 1.5 cups;
• medium-sized sea salt, crushed black pepper, as well as any spices - use according to taste and discretion.

Quick cooking method

To make such a marinade, you need to mix high-fat kefir with sour cream, and then add medium-sized salt, chopped pepper and any spices. You need to coat the entire rabbit with the resulting mixture, keep it aside for about an hour and a half and simmer over medium heat under a tight-fitting lid.

Alexander Gushchin

I can’t vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Content

How to cook delicious rabbit? How to choose this magnificent dietary meat? How to harmoniously season it with the optimal spices that will highlight the delicate taste? You will find answers to all these questions in our article.

First, let's talk about choosing meat. Be sure to take into account the fact that the healthiest and most delicious will be light, pale pink, fresh meat from a young animal (3 - 5 months). Often the carcass weight of a young rabbit does not exceed 1.5 kg. Such a carcass will cost a little more than the meat of an old animal, but the benefits and amazing taste of the meat are definitely worth the cost!

If the carcass you are offered weighs more than 2 kg, you can immediately draw a conclusion regarding the age of the animal.

When buying meat “from hand” in the markets, remember that every private owner has the right to trade meat only if he has a quality certificate for the product. Note that rabbit meat is usually safe, because this animal does not carry dangerous diseases.

But it is still preferable to purchase the carcass in a store. It will be great if you choose meat in a special vacuum package containing the inscription “environmentally friendly product”. Thanks to this packaging, you can check whether the meat was frozen. A fresh carcass has a delicate color, and there is no blood or liquid in the vacuum.

What utensils are needed for cooking?

Once you have purchased good fresh meat, check if you have everything you need to prepare the dish? Let's look at the utensils you may need. If you decide to bake meat, there is nothing better for baking than a duck pan or a regular form for these purposes. If you want to fry or, take a saucepan, cauldron or frying pan with thick walls. It is best to cook meat in an ordinary pan, enamel or steel.

Cooking time

Before buying a carcass, you should definitely take into account that cooking a rabbit is not a quick procedure. The final calculation of the time frame should be made only after you have decided on the cooking method. So, it’s easy to fry small pieces until crispy in half an hour. You can stew a rabbit in an hour. The same amount will be needed for roasting meat.

Most of the time is spent by housewives on the process of preparing the main ingredient. The rabbit must be soaked after you wash and cut it. It usually takes at least 3 hours to soak. If the carcass weighs more than three kg, it must be soaked for at least 5 hours. Soaking makes the meat soft and removes the characteristic smell and taste of game.

Helpful tip: the rabbit will taste better if you marinate it after soaking.

A little about spices

The rabbit must be cooked with carefully selected spices that will help bring out the flavor of the meat. But compared to other types of meat, when cooking rabbit you need to know exactly what seasonings to use so as not to overshadow the main flavor notes.

During cooking or at the marinating stage, the main ingredient should “make friends” with pepper, bay leaf, garlic and onion. If you like more subtle notes, add a pinch of oregano, basil, thyme or coriander to the marinade. Many gourmets highly value rabbit meat marinated in spicy cinnamon, cloves or lemon.

Butchering a rabbit

In most stores, you can find already gutted carcass, so all you have to do is defrost it (if necessary), rinse it thoroughly and cut it into pieces. Start cutting the carcass, separating the front, hind legs and shoulder blades. Separate the ribs easily with a sharp knife. The only part that you will have to “suffer a little” with is the spine. Use a special kitchen hatchet for this.

Marinate the meat

After cutting the rabbit carcass into pieces, rinse them thoroughly and soak in clean water, changing the liquid once an hour. Next we move on to marinating.
Wine (preferably white), wine vinegar, olive oil, cream, whey or sour cream with spices to taste are perfect for marinade. Chefs advise housewives to be careful with vinegar marinade. Using vinegar when marinating rabbit can make the meat of a young animal tough.

So, having chosen wine vinegar as a marinade, place the carcass or pieces in a container of water and add two to three tablespoons of vinegar. If the whole carcass is marinated, leave it in the container for three hours. If you marinate the pieces, the marinating time should be reduced to 1.5 hours. After marinating, rinse the meat under running water and dry it with a kitchen towel. Please note that it is not necessary to soak the rabbit in wine vinegar before marinating.

White wine is an excellent marinade that can also act as a spice. To marinate the carcass, pour wine over the rabbit so that it is completely covered with liquid. If desired, cognac is added to the wine. In this case, soaking the meat is also not required, nor is rinsing. All that remains is to salt and pepper it and cook.

Using a marinade made from sour cream, cream or olive oil necessarily requires pre-soaking the marinated product. Preparing the marinade is as easy as shelling pears: take any of the above ingredients in a small amount, add spices and salt to taste, then rub the marinade over the rabbit meat.

How to deliciously cook rabbit: the best recipes

• Rabbit in sour cream is a recipe that has become a true classic. The dish is prepared this way in the best restaurants in the world and in ordinary kitchens, because there is nothing difficult in the recipe.

Chop the carcass into pieces and soak the rabbit in wine vinegar. Salt and pepper the meat, then fry it in a frying pan for about 10 - 15 minutes. While the main ingredient is frying, saute the carrots and onions. Take a deep saucepan, cauldron or duck pot, grease the bottom with olive oil and lay out the food in layers: first the rabbit, then the carrots and onions. The final layer is a large amount of sour cream. Simmer the rabbit for about 40 minutes. Serve in portions; before serving, sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs.

• If you want to prepare a truly festive and royally exquisite dish, use one of them.

Marinate the carcass in olive oil with garlic, spices and salt, then fry the rabbit pieces in a frying pan. The next stage is stewing the main ingredient. Pour wine into a deep saucepan, throw in beans and carrots, onions, a little thyme, peeled and chopped potatoes, celery and pieces of rabbit. If you have chicken broth, it would be a good idea to add that to the pan as well.

Check if you have enough salt, then place the pan in the oven on a baking sheet and simmer the dish for about an hour.

• Meat in a cauldron with cheese is another great recipe that will not leave anyone indifferent. Cut the carcass, soak it in wine vinegar. Then fry the meat in a frying pan, adding salt and seasoning. Take a cauldron or a duck pot and place the ingredients there in the following order: a few drops of olive oil, chopped onion, meat, another layer of onion, grated cheese, sour cream. Bake the dish in the oven for 40 minutes.

• If you decide to fry the rabbit in a frying pan, then at the beginning of frying, add half a glass of water to the frying pan in addition to oil. Close the frying pan with a lid and simmer the meat for about 20 minutes, then fry the pieces until an appetizing golden crust and golden brown meat.

• The rabbit can also be baked in a sleeve with potatoes. To do this, first marinate the meat in any way, then fry it a little. Peel the potatoes, chop coarsely, salt and pepper the tubers, cut the onion into rings. Take a sleeve and carefully place the potatoes, onions and rabbit pieces into it. Try to distribute the filling evenly. The temperature should be average. Bake on a baking sheet in the oven for about an hour to give the potatoes time to cook.

• Rabbit is easy to cook even in a slow cooker, in the “Stewing” and “Baking” modes. This dish requires pieces of rabbit, onions, carrots and sour cream. Add olive oil to the multicooker bowl and fry the meat in it. Then add grated carrots, finely chopped onions and sour cream. Turn on the “Stew” mode and cook the dish for 1.5 hours. After the specified time has passed, switch the appliance to the “Baking” mode and cook the meat for another half hour. You will receive a juicy dish with a subtle aroma.

You don't have to strictly follow the suggested recipes. Chefs of famous restaurants advise periodically experimenting with marinades, sauces and other ingredients. Rabbit goes well with many foods.

Boiled or baked potatoes, rice or vegetables are perfect as a side dish for the main meat dish. As for drinks, you should give preference to good white wine.

A video on how to cook a rabbit baked in the oven will help you master all the intricacies of preparing this dish.

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Have you ever eaten rabbit meat? If not, then you are depriving yourself of a lot: after all, correctly selected spices for rabbit will allow you to prepare an amazing dinner that you would not be ashamed to treat to royalty.

Cooking a rabbit is not a task for novice housewives. It's a complex meat, but the spices can make it incredibly tender and delicious. In addition, it is good for health.

Useful properties of rabbit meat

Rabbit meat contains many substances important for the human body:

• protein (one hundred grams of rabbit meat contains 33 grams of protein - significantly more than chicken or beef);
• highly absorbable iron (2.3 milligrams per 100 grams of meat);
• minerals (primarily phosphorus and potassium).

At the same time, rabbit meat contains little:

• fat (total 3.5%);
• calories (173 calories per 100 grams);
• sodium, which is contained in sausages, cheese, eggs and other products consumed by modern people quite often, which can lead to an excess of this element in the body.

Compared to other types of meat, rabbit meat is cheaper and safer from an environmental point of view. Thus, rabbits produce 2.5 kg of meat for the same amount of food and water that a cow produces 1 kg of beef. The environmental impact of rabbits is low. The period from birth to maturity is only three months.

Which herbs to choose

Rabbit meat resembles chicken, but has a specific taste and smell. The latter can be emphasized or suppressed with the help of various herbs.

Lovers of gourmet dinners use mint and wine vinegar for the rabbit, add lemongrass or juniper berries and Provençal herbs to the dish. And those who prefer spicy dishes are sure to add chili pepper to their roast rabbit.

Stocking up on spices

First of all, for the rabbit you need to prepare allspice and bay leaves. Brave housewives use cloves in such cases (since this is a spice with a strong aroma, you will only need 2-3 dried buds for one rabbit carcass) and even cinnamon. The latter is added to the marinade composition.

You should not go overboard with spices if you bought a young rabbit carcass. If the rabbit was old, spices will help you make the meat tastier.

Don't forget to check the compatibility of the spices used. Otherwise, you will get an unexpected taste (and it will not always be a culinary find). By the way, to check what the result will be, do not cook the whole carcass at once: try the marinade with spices on a small piece.

Recipe for rabbit meat confit with spices

Let us warn you right away: in order to feed several men with such a dinner, you will need a very filling side dish. Or a lot of rabbits. You are unlikely to get by with just spices and a small carcass (unless it’s a dinner for lovers).

You can take all the ingredients according to your taste: some people really like a dinner full of spices, while others like only the light aroma of seasonings, which sets off the main taste of the dish. However, the average volumes for those who like to measure everything are still worth indicating:

• 1 kg of rabbit meat;
• 3 tablespoons olive oil;
• 2–3 cloves of garlic;
• 1 pinch of black pepper;
• 2–3 stalks of celery;
• 2 bunches of parsley;
• 2–3 sprigs of thyme (thyme);
• 100 ml cream with a fat content of 35%.

So, let's start cooking.

1. Divide the rabbit into pieces.
2. Place the resulting pieces in a saucepan with garlic cloves, pepper, thyme and cover with water. Add olive oil.
3. Place the pan over very low heat and simmer for two hours.
4. After the first hour of cooking, add chopped celery (don't use all of it, you'll need some for the sauce).
5. After cooking, remove the meat from the pan and after a while fry in a frying pan.
6. Boil celery until soft. Grind in a blender along with plenty of parsley. Add cream and stir.
7. Before serving, you can decorate the rabbit cooked with spices not only with celery sauce, but also with corn kernels and fresh sweet peas, as well as French fries.

So, many spices are suitable for stewed rabbit, no matter where and what you cook it with - in the oven or on the stove, in sour cream or your own juice. One of the most common myths is that rabbit meat is dry. If you cook it correctly (especially with the right spices), it will be juicy and delicious.

Rabbit is famous for its unique taste and dietary properties. Stewed with mushrooms and sour cream or in white wine, it will become a highlight of both festive and everyday dinner tables. But for everything to work out perfectly, you need to know how to properly soak a rabbit carcass.

Is it necessary to soak rabbit meat?

While every housewife can simply fry or stew meat, not everyone knows that some types of meat require pre-processing.

One of its types is soaking. But why do you need to soak a rabbit?

This depends on several factors:

• Age – young rabbits do not need to be soaked, especially in aggressive formulations. You can add a little marinade for a spicy taste. But old meat requires long soaking;
• Freshness – if the carcass is fresh, you should not interrupt its natural aroma. For meat of poor quality, you need to select a composition that can remove the smell, slightly refresh, disinfect and soften it;
• Origin - Domestic rabbits may have a specific smell and taste depending on the type of their keeping and nutrition. On industrial-scale farms, this problem is practically eliminated. If you decide to cook not a rabbit, but a wild hare, you cannot do without soaking, as the carcass will have an unpleasant odor, toughness and bitterness;
• Method of slaughter - with a quick death, the rabbit does not lose its taste. If he felt fear or suffered, adrenaline and other substances enter the meat, reducing its gastronomic qualities.

Thanks to soaking, the meat becomes tender and soft, acquiring a pleasant aroma of the marinade and the spices used. Soaking helps eliminate the problem of bitterness and unpleasant odor, excessive hardness, etc.

Another question: how long should a rabbit be soaked in water and other mixtures? It all depends on the quality of the meat and the desired degree of saturation of the carcass. The time can vary from several hours to a day or more.

Marinade recipes

Before cooking a rabbit, depending on the quality of the meat and the recipe chosen, you need to soak the carcass in one of the compositions. It can be extremely simple or consist of a complex bouquet of spices and additives.

The easiest way is to soak rabbit meat in plain water. This allows the remaining enzymes and blood to be washed out of it before further processing. The carcass is poured with cold water, kneaded a little and left for at least half an hour.

The quality of washing depends on how many times you change the water. Usually 3-4 drains are enough. This method of soaking does not have much effect on the taste of the dish, except for removing bitterness and unpleasant aftertaste.

In general, in the future you can add any flavor to rabbit meat using other marinades, various spices and sauces. An excellent option is apple, sour cream or mushroom. In addition, you can add dill, parsley or a couple of drops of lemon to the water for a tint.

You can pour in a few tablespoons of wine, milk, add soy sauce, etc. This is done during the last pour.

Mineral water with gas

Just like regular barbecue meat, you can soak the rabbit in sparkling mineral water before cooking it on the grill or in a frying pan. It will not only wash away all excess, but also soften the meat. The rabbit is left to soak in it until the gas is completely released.

Vinegar with water

If you come across a carcass that is not entirely fresh or the meat of an old rabbit, you can still save it from the smell and unpleasant taste. A great way is to let it soak in water with the addition of apple or wine vinegar. For 1 liter of water you will need approximately 1-2 tbsp. l. vinegar.

If there is no obvious reason why you should soak meat in this way, you should not do it, as this marinade makes the carcass

White wine

The best way to prepare a delicious rabbit is to use alcohol for the marinade. According to the classic recipe, you need to soak rabbit meat in white wine with spices. After this, the marinade is used directly in the process of stewing and preparing sauce for the meat.

Moreover, even a novice cook can do everything correctly. To better soak the meat, you need to cut the carcass in advance, rinse it under running cold water and knead it with your fingers.

Red wine

Some French chefs prepare the rabbit for cooking by soaking the carcass in red wine. Dry wine must be used, since a young rabbit already has a sweetish taste.

This combination of flavors can excite even the most demanding gourmets. Be sure to add the spices directly to the marinade. An interesting way is to soak the rabbit in hot wine, boiled with seasonings.

Milk or whey

You can also soak the rabbit in milk or whey for a while. And not necessarily the first freshness. If soaked in fresh milk, the meat will acquire a sweet taste. But an acidic environment will allow you to wash away everything unnecessary, soften the meat and not impart a cloying aroma and taste.

Garlic with vegetable oil

A very interesting recipe is to marinate the carcass in a mixture of crushed garlic and olive or sunflower oil before cooking. You need to rub the rabbit with this mixture and leave to marinate for at least 6 hours, or better yet, overnight. The more garlic, the more flavorful the dish will be.

For a piquant taste, add chopped herbs and spices to the mixture to give the future dish a pleasant aroma. An excellent solution is a fresh Provencal bouquet.

Since any meat is ideal for grilling, you can soak the rabbit carcass in onion juice. The amount of marinade is calculated based on the volume of meat prepared and how much time is allocated for soaking. It is necessary to completely coat the rabbit so that it is soaked and softened before frying.

Beer or cider

You can soak rabbit meat not only in wine, but also in other drinks containing alcohol. Before cooking, you can pour beer over it - it will give it a special flavor and make it soft. Thyme goes perfectly with this marinade. But cider will give the carcass an apple sweetness, so this method of soaking is intended for an amateur.

What spices are suitable for rabbit dishes?

The cooking secrets don’t end there. In addition to liquid, the marinade must contain spices. Also, various spices are added to the future dish directly during the heat treatment process. They rub the carcass before cooking or add flavor to the butter and sauce.

For a rabbit, the mandatory list of spices and seasonings are, of course, salt and black pepper. You can also add allspice and bay leaf.

The following components can add piquancy and sophistication to the taste:

• basil;
• oregano;
• rosemary;
• nutmeg;
• carnation;
• thyme;
• garlic;
• dill and parsley;
• cranberries or juniper berries.

Exactly how to cook a rabbit is a matter of preference for each cook. With proper preparation, the dish will turn out simply amazing. Try each of the proposed options and choose the one that you like the most!