Braised rabbit with tarragon, mustard and cream

Braised rabbit with tarragon, mustard and cream

Wild rabbit is underrated, free-range, native, sustainable, low in fat and good value. Give it a go in in Debbie Major’s creamy braised rabbit recipe.

Braised rabbit with tarragon, mustard and cream

  • Serves icon Serves 6
  • Time icon Takes 25 minutes to make, 1 hour 30 minutes to cook

Wild rabbit is underrated, free-range, native, sustainable, low in fat and good value. Give it a go in in Debbie Major’s creamy braised rabbit recipe.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
449kcals
Fat
449kcals (11.3g saturated)
Protein
44.8g
Carbohydrates
4g (0.6g sugars)
Fibre
0.4g
Salt
0.6g

Ingredients

  • 2 small young wild rabbits (each weighing about 800g-1kg) or 1 large farmed rabbit (1.5-2kg), jointed
  • 25g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 150ml rabbit or chicken stock
  • ½ rounded tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • ½ rounded tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp double cream
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, plus extra sprigs to garnish
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Method

  1. Season the rabbit pieces, then dust lightly with flour, knocking off and reserving the excess. Heat the oil and half the butter in a flameproof casserole or a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat until the butter is foaming. In batches, add the rabbit pieces and brown on both sides, then lift out onto a plate. Pour away the excess fat, then add the vinegar and scrape the pan with a spatula to release all the caramelised bits. Pour this over the rabbit, then wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper.
  2. Add the remaining butter to the pan and, when it has melted, add the garlic and fry gently for 1 minute. Stir in the reserved flour, then gradually stir in the white wine and rabbit or chicken stock.
  3. Return the rabbit pieces to the pan, cover tightly and simmer very gently until tender: wild rabbit will take about 1-1¼ hours; farmed rabbit about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 120°C/fan100°C/gas ½.
  4. Lift the rabbit out onto a warmed serving dish with a slotted spoon, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven. Increase the heat under the pan on the stove and bubble for a few minutes until the liquid is slightly reduced and well flavoured. Stir in the mustard and cream, then simmer a little longer until the sauce has slightly thickened once more – it should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Taste, season and stir in the tarragon. To serve, pour the sauce over the rabbit on the serving dish. Sprinkle with the extra tarragon sprigs, then serve with buttery mashed potato.

Nutrition

Calories
449kcals
Fat
449kcals (11.3g saturated)
Protein
44.8g
Carbohydrates
4g (0.6g sugars)
Fibre
0.4g
Salt
0.6g

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Recipe By

Debbie Major

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Read what others say...

  1. Good flavoured dish that we scored 8. I added an onion and used all the sauce ingredients for two with one rabbit, so I would suggest adding to the quantities for more for four people as there wasn’t a huge amount of it. I served it with steamed cabbage and carrots

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