When choosing a rabbit, you should pay attention to two simple things that will help ensure that you are purchasing a healthy animal. It's very simple and won't take you more than 10 minutes.

Look at appearance a rabbit. It shouldn't be too fat or too thin. There should be no swelling on the body.

The rabbit's coat should be well-groomed and without bald patches. Look for dirt near the anus, it may indicate diarrhea.

Pay attention to the ears, they should be pink, not red and without discharge. The rabbit's ears should not be damaged.

The eyes should be light-colored without any discharge. Check the fur around the eyes for moisture or tear marks.

Examine your nose, it should also be clean without any discharge.

Try to look at the teeth, they should be straight and not too big. Also check the fur on the chin, it should not be damp or matted.

Listen to the animal's breathing; it should be quiet and free.

Look how the rabbit moves. There should be no signs of lameness, stiffness or reluctance to move.

Look at the rabbit's environment to see if it is kept clean; crowding the animals in the cage increases stress and illness.

Observe how the rabbit reacts to people. It is best to choose a rabbit that is relatively calm when interacting with humans.

Baby rabbits are very cute, but many adult rabbits also need a home.

It is wise to abandon a sick rabbit unless you are prepared for the cost of treatment and the possible shock associated with the animal's death.

When you buy a rabbit from a breeder, make sure that they pay attention to the breeding of the rabbits. This process should be aimed at improving the temperament and health of domestic rabbits.

By comparing all the pros and cons of meat, you can easily determine that rabbit meat is one of the best. Rabbit meat is recommended for consumption by young children, since rabbit meat protein is very healthy and is almost completely absorbed by the body, while it is hypoallergenic. Rabbit meat is included in the top, as it is considered dietary meat. Now let's figure out how to choose and properly cook rabbit meat.

How to choose a good rabbit carcass

- Fresh meat. When going shopping for any meat, be sure to choose fresh or chilled meat, but not frozen. Determining the freshness of frozen meat is almost impossible.

Important

To select fresh rabbit meat, consider the following:

• The meat should be a nice solid color Pink colour no bloody stains.

• The meat should have a fresh smell and a pleasant to the touch surface without mucus.

- Young meat. Culinary experts have long valued only the meat of young rabbits, as it is especially tender; the meat of old rabbits is tough and is not recommended for consumption. The color of the meat of a young rabbit is bright pink, while that of an old one is dark.

- Strict weight. The average weight of a young rabbit is 1.5 kg; rabbits that weigh more are most likely old.

- Flexible spine. To check a carcass for youth, they often take it by the hind leg and lift it; in a young carcass, the spine easily bends.

- Natural limb. There should be a fluffy tail or paw on the rabbit carcass, which shows that it is really a rabbit carcass, as well as a mark confirming the quality of the product.

How to cut up a rabbit carcass

— When convenient, separate the back of the carcass from the front a little above the legs. The breast is cut into four parts, the legs are cut into two halves at the joints, and the flesh is cut off from the belly. Next, the insides are removed. When the carcass is left without entrails, it is cut along the spine and each part is divided into pieces.

How to marinate a rabbit correctly

No matter how perfect the rabbit meat is in finished form, for this you will have to work hard and prepare good marinade or . This procedure will remove the specific smell from the meat and also give it a refined taste.

Soy sauce, fermented milk products, wine or just vinegar water are used as a marinade. To add piquancy to the meat, fresh aromatic herbs are also added to the marinade.

Important

Young rabbit meat is marinated for at least 3 hours, older meat is marinated in several marinades, often left in the marinade overnight.

How to cook a rabbit properly

— Marinated rabbit takes no more than half an hour to prepare. If you bake or fry the rabbit longer, the aroma of the marinade will become weak and the dish will not be as piquant.

— Stew the rabbit in wine, milk cream or broth. Before the meat is stewed, it is fried in butter and spices are added. After this, pour the broth into it and place pieces of meat in it. Simmer the meat over medium heat for no more than 2.5 hours, as the meat is quite tender and can simply boil over. As the rabbit is stewed, beans, zucchini or mushrooms are added, as well as onions, peppers, spices and herbs.

— A rabbit is usually baked under a vegetable or mushroom coat in sour cream. Modern housewives have gotten used to cooking rabbit according to the same principle or in the oven using a grill to give the meat a crispy crust. Served with sour cream or tomato sauce.

Having learned to cook a rabbit with your own hands, you will easily master and delight your family with new culinary masterpieces.

Raise your hand, who does not agree that the article “How to cook a rabbit” should begin with a quote from well-known comedians: “Rabbits are not only valuable fur, but also 3-4 kilograms of dietary, easily digestible meat”? Hands are not visible, which, in general, is quite logical, because in the phrase, from which we all begin to smile, lies the whole meaning and essence of rabbit meat. Shall we figure it out?

The benefits of rabbit meat

Did you know that many centuries ago, the price of a rabbit carcass was equal to the price of a young pig carcass? It is not for nothing that rabbit meat stands apart from its “colleagues” - it really compares favorably with them in a number of characteristics. 5 reasons to choose rabbit meat:

1. Rabbit protein is digestible by 96%, this is a record high figure (for comparison, the digestibility rate of beef only slightly exceeds 60%). When digested, meat causes putrefactive processes in the intestines, and in the case of rabbit meat, these moments are minimized.
2. The vitamin composition of rabbit meat compares favorably with other types. B vitamins, vitamin C, niacin, a huge bunch of minerals that are useful and necessary for the body - a rabbit cutlet can easily be compared to a “vitamin” tablet.
3. The low level of allergens allows rabbit meat to be given to small children and allergy sufferers without fear; it is recommended in the diet of the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
4. Being an excellent antioxidant, rabbit rejuvenates the skin, improves the condition of the mucous membranes, nourishes the epidermis, and gives it tone.
5. Rabbit meat has a very valuable property - it regulates blood sugar.

Do you think that it is best to buy and prepare a rabbit that has not yet “turned” 7 months old - it is precisely until the specified age that this animal does not accept and does not accumulate strontium in the body (a product of the breakdown of herbicides and pesticides that are used to treat agricultural land), that is, a young rabbit absolutely harmless in this regard. In addition, it is believed that rabbit meat has the ability to reduce the dose of radiation in the human body - it is rabbit meat that is recommended to be eaten by people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Contraindications

Hmm... contraindications... Of course, they exist - like any other meat, rabbit, for example, is absolutely not recommended for people who, for one medical reason or another, are contraindicated for meat in general. In addition, we can say that small quantities of rabbit meat contain substances that are unusual to the ear - in the human body they are transformed into uric acid, deposited in joints and tendons and are an indirect cause of the development of arthritis and gout.

As you can see, the given disadvantages are very conditional and can hardly be considered as serious reasons to give preference to other types of meat. Nevertheless, it’s worth knowing about them - and now you know, and that means, most likely, you can buy and cook a rabbit with a clear conscience for the health of your whole family!

How to choose a rabbit at the market?

But before you cook a rabbit, you need to choose it correctly - otherwise it will turn out tasteless. Rabbit meat is very rarely found on sale in supermarkets, specialized meat shops and even small farm shops. Most often, those who want to buy a rabbit go to the local market - and there they look for the required product. Is it good or bad? With obvious disadvantages ( low level sanitary and hygienic standards, uncontrolled price policy, irregular deliveries and the absence of other “goodies” that large chain supermarkets have accustomed us to) there are also very significant advantages.

It is worth saying that we no longer live in the Stone Age and not even in the era of subsistence farming - food products that are sold in bazaars (now we are talking about organized indoor markets, and not a chaotic gathering of grandmothers with wallets at an underground passage, right? ), undergo a thorough check and reach the shelves only if all requirements are fully met. There is no reason to worry about the quality of the product. On the contrary, the market is essentially a place for selling surplus home production, that is, in fact, you are buying what people make for themselves. Rest assured that a rabbit, even one raised for the purpose of earning an extra penny, will be of excellent quality, because its brothers and sisters, intended for personal consumption, are raised in the same “living space” as yours, which means they eat the same food and chew the same grass.

Secondly, as a rule, market sellers are directly interested in retaining the client (unlike supermarkets, where interest is observed only for more high level), and therefore they always try to offer regular customers(or potentially regular customers) the best product.

Of course, this is not a reason to just go to the market and take the first animal you come across. You need to choose a rabbit! There you are five simple steps that will lead you to purchase a good quality product:

1. First, pay attention to the color of the rabbit - the meat should be light, unweathered, and fresh. The carcass should be relatively evenly “colored” - without any stains, bruises, or cuts.
2. The smell is subtle, without signs of staleness. Don't be shy about leaning over and smelling: it's better to do this before buying meat at the market than at home before throwing it in the trash.
3. Take a close look - the meat should not have traces of water or ice; you do not need a defrosted product.
4. A piece of the tail, ear or paw with fur is traditionally kept on the rabbit carcass - this is a requirement of the veterinary examination (although it is not a fact that it is still in force), prescribed for the purpose of... identifying the carcass.
5. Don't hesitate to look for or ask to see the mark - it means that the meat has been tested and is completely fit for consumption.

How to butcher a rabbit?

The majority of recipes involve the use of rabbit in portioned pieces, and this meat is sold exclusively as a carcass, but there is no reason to worry. Anyone who has ever cut up a chicken on their own will not experience any particular difficulties; the principle of operation is completely identical. Also, after trying to cut a rabbit into pieces once or twice, you will understand general rules and you will no longer doubt.

First of all, you will need something comfortable and as sharp as possible. kitchen knife– without this condition, butchering a rabbit will turn into a long and painful process of mockery of the carcass and your patience. However, as soon as you have a good quality tool in your hands, things will go smoothly and easily. By the way, in some places you can help yourself with ordinary poultry scissors, but keep in mind that they will make the task easier only if you are confident in handling this device.

In addition, you will need a thick cutting board for meat.

Seven simple steps to cutting up a rabbit into portions:

1. The first step is to separate the back part of the carcass just above the place where the paws are attached (with a knife we ​​make an incision up to the spine, we find the junction of the vertebrae and, by sharply pressing the knife, we separate one part from the other, after which we finish what we started with a knife; if you wish, you can separate the vertebrae using kitchen scissors ).
2. We cut the separated back part in half into two paws.
3. We divide each resulting “part” into a thigh and a lower leg, cutting along the joint.
4. The middle part of the rabbit carcass must be cut crosswise into oblong pieces about 3-4 cm wide.
5. Around this stage, it is worth carefully cutting out the insides if you received an uneviscerated rabbit - liver, kidneys, heart.
6. We cut the remaining part of the carcass in half along the ridge. From the resulting pieces, cut off parts with ribs - the width of the fragments should not exceed 3 cm.
7. After this, similarly to the hind legs, we divide the front legs into parts - into thighs and shins.

If you come across a rather fatty rabbit carcass, you can carefully trim off the excess and use it for subsequent frying.

Ready! It's really nothing complicated, isn't it? If you haven’t bought a rabbit before this day, hesitant about the upcoming task of butchering it, you should cast aside doubts and just try - you will certainly succeed!

What to cook from rabbit?

Rabbit meat is quite versatile, so the choice of recipes is huge - from frying and boiling to stewing and baking. All kinds of “accompaniments” in the form of standard vegetables (onions, carrots, green pea), dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins, prunes), fruits (apples, apricots, pears), citrus fruits (oranges, lemons), mushrooms (forest, champignons), various spices, herbs and seasonings.

Naturally, every family has its own “favorites”, however, to find them, it’s worth trying more than one option. We offer you several proven recipes for cooking rabbit - interesting, simple and very worthy.

Rabbit in mustard with vegetables

A completely non-trivial option for preparing rabbit meat will delight you with its simplicity and elegance: a minimum of effort, and on your table you will have an elegant and almost gourmet dish that you are not ashamed to offer to the most demanding gourmets.

For those who are afraid of excessive spiciness, we inform you: mustard gives the rabbit a subtle flavor, however, it also adds a certain thickness, richness, and interesting flavor notes.

Ingredients:

• 1 rabbit carcass;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 2-3 stalks of celery;
• 5 tbsp. l. mustard;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 15 cherry tomatoes;
• salt and pepper to taste.

We cut the rabbit into portions, wash it, dry it with disposable towels, and put it in a bowl. Add mustard, salt, pepper and mix well. In the same bowl, place onion cut into half rings, whole cloves of garlic, carrots cut into slices, and celery chopped into fairly large pieces. Mix again, cover with a lid and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours (or better yet, make the preparation in the morning, leave it in the refrigerator, and put it in a warm place an hour before baking).

Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bowl with meat and vegetables and mix again. Place the contents in a baking dish with high sides. Cover with foil and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake for 1.5 hours, after which we remove the pan from the oven, place cherry tomatoes in the recesses between the rabbit pieces and return the pan to the oven for another half hour.

Serve hot. As a side dish - potatoes, buckwheat, rice.

Quiche with rabbit fillet and zucchini

Well, okay, let’s say this is not the easiest recipe for cooking rabbit meat, however, all the intermediate efforts that need to be spent on this pie are nothing compared to the result! Just a little trouble - and on your table you have a dietary, light, incomparable, aromatic quiche with rabbit and vegetables!

Ingredients

for test:

• 100 g butter;
• 1 and 1/4 cups flour;
• 3 tbsp. l. cold water;
• 1/3 tsp. salt.

For filling:

• 100 g boiled rabbit fillet;
• 10-15 cherry tomatoes;
• 1/2 small young zucchini;
• 1 onion;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• salt, dry herbs, herbs to taste.

for filling:

• 2 eggs;
• 50 ml low-fat cream;
• 50 g hard cheese.

First - the dough : into the bowl food processor spread the cold butter cut into cubes, add salt, flour and grind into crumbs on a pulsating mode. After that we pour in cold water and collect the crumbs into a ball - you should get a fairly soft, but not sticky, elastic dough. We wrap it in plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator, meanwhile we do stuffing .

Cut the boiled rabbit meat into small pieces and place in a bowl.

Cut the zucchini into cubes, lightly simmer in a frying pan over vegetable oil. Transfer to a bowl with the meat.

Peel the onion, cut into small cubes, fry in oil, put it in the company of the rabbit and zucchini.

Add dry herbs or chopped herbs (especially tasty with cilantro), mix everything, add salt, and add ground black pepper if desired.

Preparing the filling – grate hard cheese, break eggs into the same bowl, pour in cream, mix until smooth.

Collecting quiche . We take the dough out of the refrigerator, roll it into a thin layer, transfer it to a baking dish, carefully distribute it along the bottom with your fingers and form small sides 2-3 cm high. Transfer the filling. Spread the cherry tomatoes evenly, submerging them in the rabbit and zucchini mixture. If the tomatoes are large, you can cut them in half, placing the tomatoes cut side up. Distribute the filling on top.

Baking quiche with the rabbit in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for about 30 minutes - be guided by the readiness of the dough, it should be a pleasant golden color. Cut the cake only after it has cooled slightly; when hot, it will fall apart. Tasty and served cold.

Rabbit rillette

Rillette - dish French cuisine, the essence of which is long-term simmering of meat for low temperatures in a lot of fat and spices, and then kept in the cold to “ripen”. The end result is, of course, not the most dietary treat, but absolutely amazing: tender, soft, tender, reminiscent of pate, soufflé and delicious stew all at once.

Preparing rillette is not difficult, but it is quite long and labor-intensive - for this reason it is not an everyday dish, however, before serving it for the holidays, it is worth trying to prepare a trial version - and enjoy it to the fullest!

Ingredients:

• 1 rabbit carcass;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 2-3 bay leaves;
• 10 peas of allspice;
• salt, pepper to taste, chopped rosemary needles;
• a small piece of pork leg (weighing up to 500 g);
• 2-3 stalks of celery;
• 1/2 horse of celery;
• 1 onion;
• 2 carrots;
• 100 ml dry white wine;
• 100 g butter.

We cut up the rabbit, set aside the heart, kidneys and liver for other recipes, and wash the meat.

Place the ridge in a saucepan, add a small amount of water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the broth and save until the next step.

Dry the remaining parts of the rabbit, grease well with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and herbs, place in a small bowl, tightly cover with a lid and put in the refrigerator for 5-10 hours.

On the day of preparing the rillette, cook the pork leg and strain the resulting broth.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Boil the broth (a mixture of rabbit and pork - in total you will need about 0.5 liters of liquid).

Place rabbit meat, pork leg, vegetables (peeled and cut into large pieces) into a fairly large heat-resistant dish. Bay leaf, allspice. It is optimal to arrange all the components in one layer - you can densely and compactly, but in one layer. Pour in wine and melted butter. Add boiling broth so that the vegetables and meat are completely covered with liquid. Close the lid and put in the oven for 3-4 hours - the finished meat should easily come away from the bone and, when pressed, disintegrate into fibers.

We take out the meat (both rabbit and pork) and wait for it to cool slightly. As soon as the temperature allows you to handle the meat with your hands, separate it from the bones. Place in a bowl. While warm, knead with a mortar until individual fibers form (with cold meat, this manipulation is much more difficult).

Strain the liquid in which the meat was stewed. Add a small amount to the fibers in a bowl - stir, you should get a paste. Taste for salt and spices and adjust the taste if necessary. Place in clean jars, add a little melted butter on top if desired, close the lids, put in the refrigerator for 2-3 days - the rabbit rillette, like any other meat, must steep. But after that we serve it - on toast, in sandwiches, canapés, or stuffing eggs or halves of boiled potatoes with it. Amazing!

And in conclusion, it is worth saying that there is no need to be afraid of the rabbit. After trying several times, you will understand the “mood” and characteristics of this valuable meat and can safely adjust recipes to suit your own tastes; find out that a certain specific smell of rabbit meat is easily masked aromatic herbs and spices, and dryness and dietary content are corrected, if necessary, with other fats. You will learn how to easily select young rabbits at the market, get good at cutting them, and begin to marinate meat based on your personal preferences. The most important thing is not to doubt, because mistakes are the younger brothers of new recipes. Who knows what discoveries they will lead you to?

Good luck with your experiments and healthy family!

It contains much more protein than veal, pork, and lamb, but it is also lower in fat, including saturated fat, than other types of products listed here. Therefore, it must be consumed by people who suffer from various diseases gastrointestinal tract. Rabbit meat, its benefits and harms directly depend on its composition and properties.

According to the vitamin and mineral composition, rabbit meat is more beneficial than all other types. It is rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, nicotinic acid, minerals: phosphorus, iron, cobalt, fluorine, potassium, manganese. However, it contains a small amount of sodium salts. This is precisely one of the reasons that rabbit meat is recommended as the main dietary product. Thanks to its regular consumption, the metabolism of fats and proteins is normalized. Rabbit meat contains a large amount of lecithin and very little cholesterol. Therefore, it can be used as a means to prevent arteriosclerosis.

Why is it healthy to eat rabbit meat? Of course, first of all, because of the amount of protein that is included in its composition. Moreover, it also contains adhesives. This meat should definitely be in the diet of allergy sufferers. It contains a minimal amount of allergens, so rabbit meat is suitable even for children. People suffering from serious illnesses are recommended to consume rabbit liver. The absorption of beef by the human body is at 62%, while the absorption of rabbit meat is 90%.

How to choose rabbit meat

Of course, the most useful is a young rabbit between three and four months old, so it is better to give preference to a young rabbit. To determine the age of a rabbit you need to look at the meat; a young animal should have light-colored meat. Typically, the color of rabbit meat varies from light pink to dark pink. Meat gray is in a state of decomposition and is not very fresh.

If you want to purchase rabbit meat from a private owner or on the market, then keep in mind that the carcass must have a fluffy tail of the animal or one leg with fur and claws. Only this can convince you that you are really buying a rabbit and not a barn cat. Keep in mind that the carcass of a young animal costs slightly more than an old one. In this case, the weight of a young rabbit cannot exceed 1-1.5 kg.

If you purchase rabbit meat from a private seller, make sure that he has a quality certificate. It is worth noting that it is impossible to contract a serious disease from a rabbit, but the certificate will provide you with evidence that the animal did not die or get sick, but was slaughtered alive. As for the store, you must not only make sure that there is a stamp and a certificate, but also the indicated expiration date of the product and the name of the company that supplied the product.

Most stores typically sell the rabbit carcass in a vacuum-sealed food package with a label inside. This fact is very great importance and thanks to it you can be sure of the freshness of the meat. After all, if it has been frozen and thawed several times, the label inside will show signs of paper getting wet. Therefore, be sure to devote Special attention label. The label must also contain the words “environmentally friendly product.” Keep in mind that the cost of such a product will be higher, but at the same time you can be sure that you are purchasing a truly high-quality and valuable product.

Be sure to ensure that the carcass is free of blood.

If the product is vacuum packed, there should be no pieces of frozen blood inside. The carcass should also be free of protruding blood vessels, bruises and discolored areas.

How to cook rabbit

It is very important to properly butcher the rabbit. After you have bought a rabbit, you need to wash the carcass and start cooking it. Next, divide the rabbit carcass into two parts. The division must be carried out along the last lumbar vertebra. The back and front can be cooked either together or separately. Both parts need to be cut.

Another important stage- This is marinating. Thanks to this procedure, the meat will acquire additional taste and will be softer and more aromatic. To soak rabbit meat, you can use water with apple or wine vinegar for 3 hours. If the rabbit is young, then soaking it in water or whey will be enough. Vinegar should only be added if the meat has an unpleasant odor.

When cooking rabbit, be sure to use spices. This can be done both during marinating and during cooking. The main spices are salt, onion, black pepper, bay leaf. You can also use dill, parsley, garlic, lemon, basil, cinnamon, cloves, celery, rosemary.

As for the dishes, it will be quite enough to use a frying pan with high walls or a saucepan, as well as a saucepan. To cook a whole carcass, you need to take a goose pan or a large mold.

It is worth noting that the versatile rabbit meat can be boiled, stewed, baked, fried, or grilled. Meat that is baked or grilled is very tasty. You can stew it on the stove or in the oven, it’s especially tasty with sour cream. During cooking, several processing methods can be used simultaneously. For example, first the product is fried in a hot frying pan and then stewed. As a rule, one hour is enough to cook a rabbit.

Exists various ways preparation of rabbit, but it is necessary to take into account one “but”: rabbit meat is negatively related to the effects high temperatures. Ready meat should be served and eaten only hot!

Rabbit in sour cream with mushrooms

This recipe will allow you to cook tender rabbit meat in sour cream.

To prepare 8 servings you need to take:

• 2.5 kg rabbit (whole)
• Porcini mushrooms – 500 g
• Fat sour cream - 400 g
• Onions - 2 pcs.
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves
• Olive oil
• 1/2 lemon
• Rosemary
• Vinegar
• White wine
• Pepper, salt.

Cooking process:

First, the rabbit is marinated. The top white film is cut off from it, placed in a basin and poured cold water with the juice of half a lemon, vinegar and a sprig of rosemary. Leave to marinate for several hours. Please note that the entire carcass must be marinated.

Lightly fry the crushed garlic cloves in olive oil and remove them. Fry the rabbit until a golden crust appears on it and place it in a thick-bottomed pan where it will be stewed.

Cut the onion into half rings and lightly fry in the remaining oil. Add wine and evaporate it over high heat.

The mixture should be poured onto the rabbit. Stir and cover with a lid. No need to add water. There will be enough juice. The meat should be put on low heat for 1 hour.

Add the juice in which the rabbit was stewed, mushrooms, pepper, salt, and herbs to the sour cream. Pour the resulting mixture over the rabbit and place in a preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes, covering with a lid. If you want the crust to brown, do not use the lid.

You need to make sure that there is enough juice when stewing the rabbit. If the liquid evaporates, add water. Serve the finished rabbit with a salad mixture, seasoned olive oil with spices. Potatoes can also be used as a side dish.

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