With its sweet yet subtle gamey flavours, rabbit is a brilliant meat to introduce new eaters to the world of game. Extremely lean and as versatile as chicken, rabbit is a fantastic flavour carrier working well with cream, tomato or even spice-based sauces.
Whether the meat is used for pies, curries or terrines and pates, rabbit is best eaten through its 6 month season; July through to December. Due to its low fat content, rabbit can be prone to drying out so be sure to use cooking techniques that get the best out of the meat.
Young rabbit is much tender and therefore can handle hot, stovetop cooking. Whereas, older rabbit requires a little more time and attention in the form of slow cooking casseroles and stews.
Chef’s Secrets
Kit Davis from The Wellington, Boscastle gave us the inside scoop on what he thinks the ultimate accompaniment to seasonal rabbit is…
Rabbit with fondant potato, grain mustard, leeks & Earl Grey
“I had my first experience of what works well with rabbit while working in London. The Chef had made a mistake with the dish and it ended up in the pot wash so a few of us had a taste. I have never forgotten how the ingredients and flavours complimented the rabbit.
The rabbit was served with grain mustard, leeks, fondant potato and a jus that was the star of the show. When I tasted this jus, there was a flavour that I couldn’t put my finger on but it just worked. It brought out all the other flavours perfectly.
This all important jus was made from the legs of the rabbit as the dish only consists of the saddle. These are roasted, added to vegetable stock, white wine and water, cooked for 5 hours, strained and thickened via reduction. I almost don’t want to tell you what they dropped in the sauce at the end for five minutes, but if you look at the title of the dish, there’s a clue.
A great dish to compliment rabbit and one that I will always remember.”
Photo Credit: Jon Ashford.