In rural Portugal, rabbit has long been an everyday meat, raised behind the house or brought home from the autumn hunt, and coelho à caçador, hunter’s-style rabbit, is the classic Sunday way to cook it. It is a hunter’s dish in name and in spirit, rich with red wine and garlic, the kind of meal that smells like it has been simmering since before you woke up, even when it has only been on the stove for two hours.

The rabbit is marinated in wine, garlic and bay leaf, seared until deeply browned, then braised low and slow with onions, carrots and a spoonful of tomato paste until the meat falls off the bone and the sauce turns glossy and deep. It belongs to the same family of rustic wine braises as our Cabrito Assado à Transmontana (recipe on the site) and Chanfana (recipe on the site), dishes built for cold nights and big appetites, and it tastes even better the next day.

Rabbit is easier to find in the US than most people expect. Ask a good butcher, check a farmers market, or order online from a specialty purveyor. If rabbit is not for you or your family, bone-in chicken thighs make a very respectable substitute and need slightly less cooking time. Either way, serve it with boiled potatoes or plain rice to soak up every drop of that sauce.

Coelho à Caçador Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

1 whole rabbit (about 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces (or 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 cup chicken or rabbit stock
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for finishing
Splash of brandy or aguardente (optional)

Cook along

Instructions

In a large bowl or zip-top bag, combine the rabbit pieces with the wine, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry, reserving the marinade. Season the pieces with salt.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the rabbit on all sides until deeply browned, working in batches if needed. Set aside.
In the same pot, add the onion and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and paprika and cook for 1 minute.
Return the rabbit to the pot, pour in the reserved marinade and the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender and starts to fall from the bone.
Uncover for the last 15 minutes to let the sauce reduce and thicken. Stir in a splash of brandy, if using, and adjust salt to taste.
Scatter with parsley and serve hot with boiled potatoes or white rice.