Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Meat · Rabbit & game

Rabbit

Lean, pale, mild meat usually sold jointed; braised, stewed or roasted in Mediterranean and French cooking.

Also called: rabbit meat, jointed rabbit

Around the world: fenek (mt) · lapin (fr) · conejo (es) · coniglio (it) · Kaninchen (de)

2 recipes with it

What it is

Rabbit meat is pale pink, very lean and fine-grained, often compared to chicken but slightly sweeter and more savoury. Farmed rabbit is milder than wild. It is usually sold whole or jointed into legs, saddle and forelegs, with small bones.

Oryctolagus cuniculus

How it’s used

  • Braised with mustard, wine or cider
  • Spanish paella valenciana and stews
  • Italian rabbit cacciatore and ragù
  • Maltese stuffat tal-fenek

Characteristics

Taste
Mild, sweet and lightly gamey.
Texture
Lean and fine; dry if roasted too long.
When cooked
Has little fat, so it suits braising or roasting with bacon or oil; the saddle cooks faster than the legs.
Sold as
fresh, frozen
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep sealed on the bottom shelf of the fridge and cook within a day or two, or freeze.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Cook rabbit thoroughly, to at least 71 °C (160 °F); wild rabbit should always be well cooked.
  • Watch for small, sharp bones.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
136 kcal
Protein
20.05 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
5.55 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Game meat, rabbit, domesticated, composite of cuts, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with rabbit