Food

Days of Thumper

Five Ways to Eat Rabbit This Easter. Yep.

By the time you iron that pastel button-down, steam something seersucker-y and lace up your suede bucks, you’ll have worked up quite an appetite. And so it’s in that spirit that we say... here are five great ways to eat rabbit this Easter season. Oh, relax.

THE PASTA WAY

Slow-Roasted Georgia Rabbit at Canoe

The Preparation: Perched atop mushroom tortellini and covered in candied-garlic sauce.
The Situation: This is one of those dress-up-and-enjoy-your-rabbit-by-the-river-type situations. Which will henceforth be simply known as a “great situation.”

THE BACON WAY

Braised Rabbit at Miller Union

The Preparation: Braised rabbit with caramelized fennel, English peas, Vidalia onions, olives and, yes, rabbit bacon.
The Situation: You’re reading the menu, and your date says, “I don’t care what we have, as long as it’s bacon.” First, congratulations. Second... actually, just congratulations.

THE SOUP WAY

Rabbit and Shrimp Wontons at Octopus Bar

The Preparation: Thick noodle wontons filled with rabbit and shrimp.
The Situation: The urge for woodland hare can sneak up at any time. Especially at 1am. Don’t fight it. Call your friends and tell them it’s late-night-rabbit time. It’s just stupid enough to work.

THE CHARCUTERIE WAY

Rabbit Mortadella at Lusca

The Preparation: It’s basically like rabbit bologna stuffed with pistachios and fatback.
The Situation: Dinner has yet to arrive and you need a little snack. Something light. Something nutty. Something that tends to burrow.

THE GRILL-AT-HOME WAY

Raw Whole Rabbit at Atlantic Seafood

The Preparation: An entire rabbit. Cleaned, packaged and frozen.
The Situation: Forget your Easter best. You’re in shorts. You’re in a Van Halen T-shirt. You’re staring at your grill and wondering if cooking this thing with carrots is going too far. It’s not.