Fried is one of the most popular ways to prepare rabbit meat in the United States. With more than half the world’s rabbit population in North America, the popular small game animal has been a source of food for thousands of years, beginning with Native Americans. In addition to fried, other cooking techniques commonly used for rabbit meat are roasting, slow-cooking, grilling, and braising or stewing. Whether harvested in the wild during hunting season or raised on a farm, rabbit meat is lean, succulent, and tender. Its taste is often compared to chicken but with a slightly more gamey, earthy flavor.
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 4 hours resting
+ 4 hours resting
Cook Time
40 minutes
Total Time
4 hours 55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2–4 rabbits, dressed and cut into serving pieces
- Vegetable oil, as needed for frying
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
Directions
- Mix together the buttermilk, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
- Add the pieces of rabbit, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch in a large cast iron frying pan and set it over medium heat until it reaches about 325°F.
- Drain the rabbit meat in a colander. Don’t shake the marinade off the meat.
- Pour the flour and salt into a large plastic bag, shaking to combine.
- Place three pieces of rabbit in the bag and shake until the meat is coated in the flour mixture.
- Transfer the coated pieces to the hot oil, spacing them out to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Fry gently for 8–12 minutes before flipping the pieces and frying for another 10 minutes or until they are golden-brown. The forelegs will cook the fastest followed by the loin and the hind legs will need to cook the longest.
- Transfer the fried pieces to a rack set over paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat steps six through nine until all the rabbit pieces are fried.
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