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This is an unusual German rabbit stew with the memorable name of eingemachtes kaninchen, according to Mimi Sheraton in her excellent book The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking. It’s a light, bright counterpoint to the more famous hasenpfeffer, which is made with hare.
This particular rabbit stew is a Swabian recipe, from Southern Germany. For those of us in the United States, when we read the recipe and we don’t immediately think of Germany, but rather of that country’s former financial nemesis: Greece. Lemon, capers and bay leaves play a prominent role in this stew.
But instead of oregano and olive oil and yogurt, the Germans use parsley and butter and sour cream. It is brothy, meaty and tart, with just a whiff of creaminess. Think avgolemono with more fiscal discipline. (If you want to go full Greek, I have a recipe for Greek rabbit stew.)
You may be wondering if this rabbit stew is some sort of variant on the most famous German rabbit recipe, hasenpfeffer. It is most definitely not.
For starters, hasenpfeffer requires a hase, a hare. And a hare is not a rabbit. Rabbits are light, mild white meat. Hares are heavy, strongly flavored red meat, and hasenpfeffer is a heavy, strongly flavored stew. In America, hasenpfeffer should be made with jackrabbit.
If you want some variation, try this stew with chicken, pheasant, quail, grouse or turkey. I bet it would be good with a firm fish like halibut, too. It is very good with boiled or mashed potatoes, or rice or just some crusty bread.
This recipe, however, is a perfect stew for cool nights, yet still light enough to enjoy with a chilled white wine outside on the porch as you watch the sunset, thinking about the next time you’ll get a chance to chase Mr. Cottontail.
Chances are if you’re a hunter, you know how to joint a rabbit. But for those of you buying your bunny, they all come whole, so you will need to part it out yourself. I’ve written a tutorial on how to cut up a rabbit here.
Be sure to read the recipe’s headnotes, because while the base of this rabbit stew will keep for a few days, once you add the cream, you’re committed. So my advice would be to make the base and only add the cream and white wine right before you serve the stew.
German Rabbit Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cottontail rabbits, or 1 domestic rabbit, cut into serving pieces
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 onion, sliced root to tip
- Zest of a lemon white pith removed, cut into wide strips
- 2 to 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- White wine to taste, at least 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Salt the rabbit pieces well and set aside for 10 minutes or so. Set a Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter. Pat the rabbit pieces dry and brown well on all sides. You may need to do this in batches, so don't crowd the pot and don't rush things. Remove the rabbit pieces once they're browned. This may take 15 minutes or so.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, then the sliced onion and cook until the edges just begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir well. Cook, stirring often, until the flour turns golden, about 5 minutes.
- Return the rabbit to the pot and add enough chicken stock to cover. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the lemon zest, bay leaves and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently until the rabbit wants to fall off the bone, which will take anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how old your rabbit was.
- This is an optional step, but I prefer it: Turn off the heat, fish out the rabbit pieces and let the cool on a baking sheet. Pull all the meat off the bones and return the meat to the stew. I don't like fiddly stews with bones in them, so I do this. You can leave everything on the bone if you want.
- You can now store the stew for several days. Or you can serve it at once. Turn the heat to low just to make sure the stew is nice and hot. Do not let it simmer. Add the sour cream, capers and as much white wine as you want -- you want the stew to be a bit zingy. Stir in a healthy amount of black pepper and garnish with parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello! Can I cut up and braise a rabbit in a basic broth/garlic/etc, and then freeze the cooked meat for multiple dishes? I ended up with a slightly larger rabbit than usual at the farmers’ market today. Thank you!
Jill: Yep.
Think this will work with groundhog? I shot and trapped multiple groundhogs this summer They eat the same thing as rabbits so I figured they have to taste good too.. right? I skinned and froze a couple for experimenting.
Jen: If I remember right, groundhog is a darker meat, yes? If so, try hasenpfeffer instead. The recipe is on my Rabbit Recipe page, too.
This was absolutely amazing! A large cottontail made the mistake of hippity hoppiting onto our property and then sitting around for just long enough for dh to shoot it. I made this recipe exactly as written and it was the best rabbit I have ever had. Thank you so much for this!
AMAZING!! Used this with a pheasant we got over the weekend. Such depth of flavors in a very simple dish. Love your theory on life, we try to grow most of our food, or trade for what we don’t have. Can’t wait to try more of your inspirations!
Yummy. Use your directions for parting the rabbit and made this dish tonight. It was awesome. The sauce is wonderful. Served it with a salad and some toasted bread with gouda. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this tonight and can report that it’s very tasty with New Zealand rabbits as well :-). Left out the capers and white wine without missing anything. Now I’m looking forward to trying the ‘Hasenpfeffer’. Rabbits are a bit of a pest down here and I always think it’s a shame people don’t use them for food more, rather than using them as dog tucker or just throwing them out (they do have to be killed for pest control). If I roast a whole rabbit my favourite way to cook them is to marinate them in a marinade made from yoghurt and garlic and then pop them into the slow cooker. Also very yummy!
I love the recipe, and it is a nice variation of my own, handed down from my family.
I come from “Schwaben” and as one, may I say that the “Schwaben” actually come from Baden-Württember, not Bavaria (or Bayern), as stated in your recipe.
There is a tiny small portion of the part of where the “Schwaben” live that encroaches into the state of Bavaria, but overall, to say to someone who is a “Schwabe” that he is from Bavaria is not very well received normally!
Anyway, the recipe is great, and I will make this variation later this month.
Made this recipe for my husband’s annual game feast. Everyone said it was delicious and I’d have to agree. Even though I didn’t think I liked rabbit very much! Thank you for sharing such a good recipe.
How large of dutch oven is necessary for this recipe?
Hank,
Have been so grateful to find your delicious recipes to highlight the snowshoe hare I’ve been hunting this winter in northern Vermont. Do you think this recipe would work with a hare or two?
German cuisine is highly underappreciated here. Strong German culture has influenced quite a bit of S. Louisiana cuisine. Can’t wait to try this stew, sounds fabulous!
I cannot BELIEVE I *finally* found the recipe my mom used to cook with rabbit. This is DELISH, btw. I’ve craved it for years and now I can finally cook it … although all we have here in NYC is frozen rabbit. 🙁 Oh, well, better than nothing.
I made this for dinner tonight using pheasant and chukar, and it was delicious! My husband and son loved it!
Melissa: Yep. No problemo.
Could you use duck stock, my son cannot eat chicken?
Trying this recipe tonight. I looks great.
I have found botfly larva on cottontails but only once. They are hideous as you say but they did not affect the meat.
The stew sounds delicious. It would most likely be served with Spaetzle. One correction, however, Swabia is part of Baden-Wuerttemberg not Bavaria. This Schwoab is shuddering at the thought of it being a region in Bavaria.
Geoff: Absolutely! The Germans, from what I understand, are very fond of chanterelles, so I’d start there. Blewits or cepes wouldbe other good choices.
wow this is the best rabbit stew ive ever seen, cant wait to give this a go, do you think it could go a handful of wild mushrooms?
or is it best left alone?
best regards from the U.K
I made this recipe for dinner yesterday, it was fantastic! My rabbit was 2 pounds, 12 oz. and I did use more chicken broth than called for to cover the rabbit in my pot. I removed the rabbit from the bones, which made the stew more enjoyable not having to pick through bones, thanks for that tip. I served the stew over mashed potatoes, a lovely meal.