Grilled Rabbit with Panzanella and Grilled Lettuce Salad
By Andrew Zimmern
I’m on a mission to get the world to eat more rabbit. They are mild, they have an incredible amount of meat on a small frame, they’re quick to raise, and they have very little impact on the environment. In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I will show you how to break down a whole rabbit for two different recipes. For the first one, we are going to brine pieces of the rabbit, grill it and coat it in a spicy, Sichuan sesame sauce topped with toasted peanuts and scallions (recipe). And for the other, I’m grilling up the rabbit and plating it with a grilled baby gem lettuce salad and panzanella, an Italian bread salad with tomatoes, fennel and citrus.
Tune into Wild Game Kitchen every Monday on Tastemade.
Grilled Rabbit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 rabbit, cut into fifths (2 fore legs, 2 rear legs, 1 saddle)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Panzanella salad, for serving (recipe below)
- Grilled lettuce salad, for serving (recipe below)
Instructions
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat cooking.
Cut your rabbit into fifths, 2 fore legs, 2 rear legs and 1 saddle. Rub with salt, pepper and olive oil. Grill until just cooked through, turning frequently to promote even cooking. Let rest on a platter.
Remove the loin meat from the bones. Plate the rabbit leaning the legs against the panzanella, topped with sliced pieces from the loin.
Panzanella
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups day-old artisan bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup fennel, thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 1 handful basil leaves, torn into small pieces
- 1 navel orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
- Lemon juice to taste
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl, add the garlic and the bread cubes. Toss. Preheat the plancha or a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the bread cubes for a few minutes on one side brown, flip and continue to cook until all of the pieces are toasted.
Place the bread cubes in a big salad bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Toss to evenly coat the ingredients with the liquid seasonings. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grilled Lettuce Salad
- 4 heads Little Gem lettuce, split in half, washed and dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 4 ounces aged Reggiano parmesan, for shaving
Anchovy Dressing
- 1 egg yolk
- 8-10 anchovies
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, passed through a Microplane
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
Instructions
Brush the lettuce with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and char over high direct heat on one side. You want charred exterior and cool crisp centers. Reserve to a large plate.
Combine the egg yolk, anchovies, mustard, lemon juice and garlic. Pulse with an immersion blender, then slowly add 1/2 cup of canola oil in a thin stream so that it emulsifies into the sauce. Next, slowly add the 1/2 cup of olive oil. Stir in the sherry wine vinegar. Spoon some dressing over each grilled lettuce portion, garnish with the parmesan and chives and serve with the rabbit and panzanella.
