Sauteed Rabbit Loin with Braised Fennel & Balsamic Vinegar
Submitted by ghayoumi
Italian rabbit loin brined, seared, then simmered with braised fennel, balsamic, and white wine. Finished with a bright herb salsa verde for restaurant-level plating at home.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsRabbit loin is the tenderloin of the rabbit, lean and delicate, and it dries out in seconds if you treat it wrong. A quick hour in a red-wine vinegar brine seasons the meat through and keeps it juicy through the sear. Don’t skip this step.
The flavor build is classic Italian country cooking. Fennel, Spanish onion, and toasted fennel seeds soften in the pan after the loins come out, catching all that rabbit fond. Tomato sauce, dry white wine, and a generous pour of balsamic vinegar reduce into a glossy sauce that holds the simmering rabbit for its final 15 minutes.
The salsa verde on top is what takes this from rustic to restaurant. Bread soaked in wine vinegar, squeezed dry, then pureed with parsley, capers, garlic, spinach, thyme, and fennel fronds. Tangy, herbaceous, and cuts cleanly through the rich sauce below.
Pro Tips
- Pat rabbit thoroughly dry after brining. Wet meat steams instead of browning.
- Heat the oil until it’s smoking before the rabbit goes in. Anything cooler and you’ll get grey, sad loins.
- Save fennel fronds for the salsa verde. Tossing them is a waste of flavor.
- Serve the salsa on the side if guests are timid. Some people find raw garlic aggressive.
Variations
- Substitute chicken thighs if rabbit isn’t available, adjusting cooking time down by a few minutes.
- Swap balsamic for aged sherry vinegar for a drier, nuttier sauce.
- Add a handful of Kalamata olives to the fennel braise for a Sicilian lean.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse and pat dry rabbit loins.
In a mixing bowl, stir together cold water, vinegar, salt and peppercorns.
Place rabbit loins in liquid and allow to stand 1 hour.
Remove rabbit from brine and pat dry.
In a 12-14-inch heavy bottomed sautJ pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil until smoking.
Season rabbit pieces with salt and pepper and sautJ until golden brown on both sides, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Remove rabbit pieces and set aside.
Add fennel, onion and fennel seeds and cook until soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, wine and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil.
Place rabbit pieces in pan and simmer 15 minutes uncovered.
Meanwhile, make salsa verde.
Soak bread in white wine vinegar about 2 minutes.
Remove bread from vinegar and squeeze dry. Place in food processor with parsley, capers, garlic, spinach, thyme, fennel fronds and extra virgin olive oil.
Blend 30 seconds until smooth and set aside.
Remove cooked rabbit pieces from sauce and arrange on a serving platter.
Top with fennel sauce mixture, drizzle with salsa verde and serve immediately.
Comments
