Make a rich and easy rabbit stew recipe packed with vegetables and simmered in beer, all cooked perfectly in a Dutch oven.
A hearty and super delicious rabbit stew, perfect for those who have never had rabbit!
Have you ever eaten rabbit? It is an eligible question. Most people I know have never eaten rabbit in their lives, and many of them don't even have an interest in trying it. Too bad! Because rabbit tastes great, and its consumption has many benefits. Check out the Italian Rabbit Stew, too.
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Recipe ingredients
Rabbit: I bought a whole frozen rabbit for the stew. I have never seen fresh rabbits around here, but frozen rabbits are good. It is not possible to get them all the time around here, so making this recipe requires a bit of preliminary planning.
- The rabbits I get here are very small. One weighs 1.2 kg/ 2.6 lbs. And they weigh even less after I cut them into pieces because I don't cook the backbone and the ribs in the stew; they don't have enough meat.
The vegetables needed are the typical vegetables you will find in most stews: lots of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots.
The beer I use is regular German pils; I take whatever pils we happen to have in the house at the moment, usually a beer with a slightly bitter taste. Check out more meat dishes cooked with beer: Beer Braised Short Ribs or Pork Cheeks.
Cooking dish: The rabbit stew is slowly cooked in a round Dutch oven for at least 1 ½ hours until the meat is super tender and falls off the bones.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make rabbit stew?
- Step #1: Cut the rabbit into 5 or 6 smaller pieces. Check out Roasted Rabbit for instructions on cutting a rabbit. I didn't use the backbone and the ribs for the stew; I used them to make stock (See Good to Know section).
- Step #2: Sear the meat on both sides until golden. Remove from the pan.
- Step #3: Cook the onions on medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Add some of the water from time to time to prevent them from burning or drying out.
- Step #4: Add carrots and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add paprika powder (sweet or hot according to taste) and stir well for about 1 minute.
- Step #5: Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, add beer, pureed tomatoes, and enough water to cover the rabbit barely. Add the spices, too.
- Step #6: Simmer the rabbit stew for 1 ½ hours or until the meat is really tender; it should basically fall off the bone. Adjust the taste.
Good to know!
Rabbit doesn't taste gamey; it tastes a lot like chicken.
Make rabbit stock with the unused back and ribs of the animal. Because they don't have much meat on them I never add them to the stew, instead, I use them to make stock.
Add a few frozen chicken bones leftover from roast chicken to the pot, soup vegetables like carrots, onions, and celeriac, spices like black pepper, juniper, and allspice berries, bay leaves and cloves, and salt. Cover everything with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the pot simmer for several hours. The stock is perfect for soups, stews, risotto, etc.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate for up to four days.
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge.
Reheat on the stove, stirring often until the rabbit stew is piping hot.
How to serve?
Serve this hearty rabbit stew with mashed potatoes or bread and pickled vegetables, such as these wonderful Green (Unripe) Tomato Pickles.
If you don't have or like pickles, any sort of roasted or boiled vegetables or a nice salad would be good.
I also serve the stew with crusty bread or mashed or boiled potatoes.
The dish can be reheated, and it is suitable for freezing as well.
Rabbit Stew
Ingredients
- 1 rabbit Notes 1, 2, 3
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 onions
- 1 – 1 ⅓ cup water 250-300 ml
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- 1 ¼ cup beer pils, 150 ml, about ½ bottle + more, if needed
- ½ cup pureed tomatoes 125 g
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 5 juniper berries
- fine sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the rabbit into 5 or 6 smaller pieces. I didn't use the backbone and the ribs for the stew, I made rabbit and chicken stock with them. See the blog post for more details.1 rabbit
- Sear meat: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven or another heavy bottom pot and fry the rabbit pieces on both sides until golden. Remove from the pan.
- Cook onions: Halve the onions and slice the halves thinly. Pour the remaining oil into the pot and fry the onions on medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Add some of the water from time to time to prevent them from burning or drying out.2 onions + 1 tablespoon oil + some from 1 – 1 ⅓ cup water/ 250 - 300 ml
- Cook vegetables: In the meantime, slice the carrots and the red bell pepper. Add the vegetables to the onions and continue cooking, stirring a few times in between, for about 3-4 minutes. Add the sweet and the smoked paprika powder (sweet or hot according to taste) and stir well for about 1 minute.2 medium carrots + 1 large red bell pepper + 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder + ½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- Place the rabbit pieces back in the pot, add the beer, pureed tomatoes, and enough water to barely cover the rabbit, the meat pieces should not be completely underwater. Add the bay leaves, the juniper berries, some salt, and pepper.1 ¼ cup beer / 150 ml + ½ cup pureed tomatoes/ 125 ml + 3-4 bay leaves + 5 juniper berries + fine sea salt and black pepper
- Simmer stew: Cover the pot, bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 1 ½ hour or until the meat is really tender, it should basically fall off the bone. Don't forget to stir from time to time and add a little more beer if the liquid reduces too much.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve with mashed potatoes and pickles. Or with boiled potatoes and roasted or boiled vegetables or salad.
Notes
- Rabbits are generally small; one weighs about 1,2 kg/ 2.6 lbs.
- The back and the ribs don't have much meat, I usually remove them and use them to make stock.
- See Simple Roasted Rabbit for instructions on how to cut a rabbit into pieces.
Deborah A Zornes says
I raise rabbits for consumption and sell a few live ones as pets also. They are so much cleaner to butcher than chickens and taste great. Thanks for the recipe.
Adina says
Thank you, Deborah.
mjskitchen says
Oh my...I haven't had rabbit in ages! An uncle used to raise them and they were so very good. Wish I had one right now to make this stew. The color and texture of yiour sauce is so rich looking.
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
I hear you on the cute animals! It is kinda "not fair". I have to admit rabbits are cute! My kids are all over it, but they probably won't want to it them if I told them what it is 🙂 But, I will definitely do 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I have eaten rabbit. We raised rabbits for quite a few years, but haven't at all for this past year. I thought it was quite delicious, but I had to disguise it or else my kids wouldn't touch it. This stew looks delicious!