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Rillettes de Lapin (Rabbit Rillettes)

Rillettes de Lapin (Rabbit Rillettes) is a traditional French recipe for a classic starter made from marinated rabbit meat finished by frying in lard and stewing in the marinade liquid that's served with toasted bread. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic French version of: Rabbit Rillettes (Rillettes de Lapin).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

90 minutes

Total Time:

110 minutes

Additional Time:

(+8 hours marinating/chilling)

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Game RecipesBread RecipesFrench Recipes

The rillettes recipe is one of the prides of gastronomy and has existed since the 15th century. Discover its rabbit version, just as tasty as the original pork recipe.

France has an impressive pool of traditional recipes, each varying by the various regions and climate of France. Rillettes are one of the most striking examples, originating from Tours (not Le Mans as many think), where they have been prepared since the 15th century. Indeed, it was only at the end of the 19th century that the city of Le Mans began to popularise their pork-based version of the dish. The rillettes technique was originally a way of preserving meat for the long winter months by submerging in winter (they were prepared during the autumn). This allowed rillettes to be kept for almost an entire year. The recipe presented here is for a classic game rillettes based on rabbit for an ideal dish to be served on rustic bread as an aperitif.

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (about 1.2kg), jointed
2 onions, quartered (no need to peel)
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch of thyme
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
375ml dry White wine
1 tbsp of olive oil
100g of lard
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. then pour over the olive oil and 1/2 bottle white wine.

Set aside in the refrigerator to macerate for 6 hours (or over night).

When ready to prepare, melt the lard in a saucepan. When the lard is hot, remove the rabbit from the marinade and brown the meat for 10 minutes in the hot lard. At this point pour in the maceration liquid (do not add the solids) and cook all the ingredients for about 80 minutes, until the meat is soft and falling off the bone.

Remove the meat and flake with a fork. Transfer to glass jars then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Serve with toasted bread.