Rabbit Stew

4.75 from 8 votes

Make a rich and easy rabbit stew recipe packed with vegetables and simmered in beer, all cooked perfectly in a Dutch oven.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Main Course, Stews

Cuisine: American, Romanian

Servings: servings

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Adina

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.

Nutrition