How to cook a rabbit in the oven: recipes, features and recommendations

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Rabbit meat is not only a dietary and low-calorie product, but also a protein food that is necessary for the normal growth and development of a child's body or maintaining an active lifestyle for adults and the elderly. Today you will learn how to cook a rabbit in the oven, what features this meat has and how to prepare it before heat treatment. Plus the easiest recipes for your personalized cookbook.

Types of rabbit meat

Rabbit meat can be divided into two types:

• meat of a young animal - aged 3 to 5 months and weighing up to one and a half kg;
• meat from an adult animal - aged 5-6 months and weighing two or more kilograms.

Features of meat preparation

The meat of a young animal does not require specialpreparation, it is tender and juicy. Before direct cooking, you should only cut, marinate a little pieces of the carcass to give them additional aroma and taste.

For cutting, take a strong chef's knife or a small kitchen hatchet. Lay the carcass on its back and spread the legs. Cut into pieces.

And how to cook a juicy rabbit in the oven from meat from an adult or an old animal? If the carcass has a characteristic specific smell, it must be soaked in water with acid. This is not marinating, but it is the removal of the smell from adult or old meat. For such a procedure, you will need a bowl of cold water, citrus sour juice from 2-3 fruits, or a little table vinegar. For the same purpose, acidified table white wine is sometimes taken. S alt should never be added. Keep the meat in this solution for a couple of hours. Then rinse and proceed with further cooking steps.

Marinade mixes and spices will help soften the meat.

Which marinade to choose

Marinade mixes are selected primarily according to your preferences. The best can be considered those that are prepared on the basis of an acidic product or alcohol. As an example, we highlight several options for rabbit marinade based on:

• table dry white wine - with ground ginger, coriander, dried Provence herbs;
• freshly squeezed citrus juice - with parsley, dill, rosemary and s alt;
• table vinegar 6% - with oniononion, garlic cloves, ground pepper, bay leaf, parsley and s alt;
• fragrant apple (wine) vinegar - with honey, olive oil, mint, cranberry puree and ground pepper;
• soy sauce - with onion, garlic, sunflower oil, table mustard and s alt.

The indicated spices and seasonings are the best for rabbit meat. However, each housewife selects spices according to her taste or those that are at hand.

If the pieces of the carcass will be cooked on the grill, kefir marinade is the best suited. The juice of one or half a lemon and onion rings are added to it. Supplement with s alt to taste.

There is no specific number of products, and there is a reason for this. The marinade is prepared according to taste. That is, you try it and add the component that you think is missing. So, the taste of a suitable marinade should be mildly sour, s alty and slightly spicy. Strong sour or s alty flavors should be avoided.

Juicy rabbit in the oven

So, now we will learn how to cook a rabbit in the oven. The recipes are not complicated - every housewife can handle it. From any meat, we will help to prepare an amazing and fragrant dish with soft and juicy meat.

What ingredients are needed:

• rabbit carcass - 1 piece;
• table white wine - 200 ml;
• dried ginger - pinch;
• ground coriander - on the tip of a knife;
• Provencal dry herbs - optional;
• s alt - 1/2 tspl.;
• lean oil - 1 tsp

How to cook a rabbit in the oven? Step by step recipe below:

1. Chop the carcass of the rabbit at the joints into small portions. Rinse them in cold water.
2. Mix white wine, ginger, coriander and dried herbs. Add s alt and oil. Stir the mixture and pour over the rabbit pieces. Mix well and let marinate for 30-40 minutes.
3. Then turn on the oven at 180-200°C.
4. In a small baking sheet lay a thick layer of food foil. Spread the shiny side up. Then put the pieces of rabbit in it in one layer. Drizzle with remaining marinade and cover with foil.
5. Put in preheated oven for an hour.

This recipe can also be used to cook rabbit legs in the oven. The recipe does not change.

Rabbit stew

What ingredients are needed:

• rabbit - 1 piece;
• fresh vegetables - 600 g;
• parsley - for serving;
• s alt - to taste;
• spices - a couple of pinches;
• lean oil - 3 tbsp. l.

How to cook rabbit meat in the oven - step by step recipe:

1. Use a sharp knife to cut the carcass of the rabbit into pieces. Rinse under the tap in cold water.
2. Prepare vegetables - peel and rinse. Take, if desired, onions, carrots, celery stalks, bell peppers or something else. Choose cuts in large pieces - cubes.
3. Into a duckling, pot or ceramic baking dishlay out the rabbit and vegetables. Pour in oil. Add s alt, spices.
4. Pour in hot water or pre-prepared chicken broth. Products must be covered. But keep in mind that the form should not be filled to the full extent.
5. Cover the mold with food foil or close the lid of the pot if you chose it for cooking.
6. Place in the oven at 180°C for 2 hours.
7. As a side dish, choose boiled pasta or cereals. For addition, you can cook boiled or stewed spinach.

Rabbit legs in the oven

What products are needed:

• rabbit legs - 4-5 pieces;
• onion turnip - 1 pc.;
• garlic - a couple of cloves;
• kefir (or sour cream) - 150 ml;
• table mustard - 1/2 tsp;
• s alt - 1/2 tsp;
• dry herbs - a couple of pinches;
• lean oil - 1 tbsp. l.

How to cook a rabbit in the oven in this case? The step by step recipe is below:

1. Rinse rabbit feet in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Peel and cut onions into rings. Grate the garlic into a pulp.
3. Combine onion, garlic, kefir, table mustard, s alt and dry herbs for marinade.
4. Dip rabbit legs in marinade and rub well with mixture. Leave for a quarter of an hour.
5. Turn on the oven at 180 ° C and take care of the baking sheet. Grease it with oil and lay out the legs one by one. Set to bake for an hour. Maybe a little more.

Instead of a baking tray, you can take a solid cast ironfrying pan. It perfectly holds the heat and the meat will gradually steam and languish under the action of the marinade filling.

Other cooking options

There is another option on how to cook a delicious rabbit in the oven. Before the end of baking, sprinkle the legs with grated hard cheese. Creates a crispy crust that your guests won't resist!

Besides these cooking methods, there are several more. How to cook a soft rabbit in the oven in a pot, in a sleeve? Fillets can be made into rolls. Use thin slices of pork loin or belly. Wrap fillet pieces in them and bake in the oven using any of the methods listed.

In the fillet you can twist the stuffing - stuff it. To do this, be sure to beat off the pieces of meat with a kitchen hammer. Then lay out the filling and twist. If you are afraid that the rolls will lose their shape, fasten them with toothpicks or thread. But before serving, remove the thread and remove the toothpick.

The following options are suitable for the filling:

• sautéed vegetables;
• fried or pickled mushrooms, such as champignons;
• spicy fresh chopped herbs;
• sliced boiled egg and soft rice.

Add shredded cheese to any of the fillings - hard, soft, melted or pickled to taste.

Rabbit Sauce

After you've learned how to cook rabbit in the oven, it's time to get to know the sauces. They are brought to the tablealong with a meat dish in a plate or in a special gravy boat. We give an example of a classic combination of sweet and sour sauce for soft meat. But use this recipe if the minimum amount of spices and seasonings was taken for roasting meat. Otherwise, these components will "clog" the taste of the meat itself.

What ingredients are needed:

• cranberries - 200 g;
• honey - 5 tbsp. l.;
• sprig of rosemary (or thyme) - 1 pc.;
• boiled water or dry red wine - 150 ml.

Cooking steps:

1. Wash the berries. Rub to a puree.
2. Combine mashed potatoes and honey in a saucepan. Add a whole sprig of rosemary. Boil until thickened. Pour in water and cook for a couple more minutes after boiling.
3. Serve the sauce without rosemary.

If you have already tried this version of the sauce and want variety, using the most affordable products, you can make sour cream sauce or a piece of green butter. For hot meat, this option will be very useful. It will soften the baked crust of portioned pieces and fully reveal the aromas of the spices and herbs used for the marinade.

Cooking Tips

You learned how to cook a rabbit in the oven. Recipes can be supplemented with one more: this is meat or legs baked in batter.

To prepare batter, take mayonnaise sauce or sour cream, a little table or Dijon mustard, s alt and ground spices. For a bunch, be sure to add an egg and wheat flour. If you pour 1 tsp into the batter. vodka, vinegar or beer, aftercooking it will be crispy.