# Swamp Rabbit and Wild Oyster Mushroom Sauce Piquant



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

A Cajun Classic! I have been eating this recipe since I was a kid tagging along on rabbit hunts with a BB gun @ my grandfather's hunting camp.

We had a good hunt last Saturday...







Took my little nephew on his first rabbit hunt. He's still too small to shoulder the gun fast, but he did kill some nutrias.

Wild Oyster Mushrooms grow abundantly here on dead willow...





These were growing right behind the camp. We picked quite a few..













3 species-browns, whites, and goldens....all edible. The whites are the most fragrant and delicate. I love 'em all!

Tonight, I'm making a big stew. The classic rabbit sauce piquant.

First-frying the rabbit in bacon fat. The bacon is home made by my buddy. 6 rabbits quartered and fried....







Then in the same pot, got the veggies braised down to release the drippings then added the wine to reduce...







Add the rabbit back in along with stock and roux, let it simmer till the rabbit is tender. Made a big pot @ the firehouse and the guys from the hunt are coming eat....


----------



## yankee2bbq (Feb 8, 2018)

That’s awesome!  Bet that is some good eating.  I have a co-worker that loves to use his beagles and get them swampers in southern Arkansas.


----------



## tallbm (Feb 8, 2018)

Man that is awesome!

Great pics and write up.  I need to make some something like that, I LOVE cajun and creole food!


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

Add the mushrooms...











And finally, the secret touch- lemon zest...






 And let it go for 2~3 hours until done...











I look forward to this meal every year. I have 4 more rabbits I'm putting up in the freezer to cook this one more time...


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

yankee2bbq said:


> That’s awesome!  Bet that is some good eating.  I have a co-worker that loves to use his beagles and get them swampers in southern Arkansas.


Thanks.
It 'Twas a great meal. Great thing about this hunt is we did not need dogs.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

Thanks man... let me find the recipe and I'll post it.


----------



## forkin pork (Feb 8, 2018)

"Snikey's" that looks sooo darn good. You all know how to cook a rabbit for sure. Maybe next year, I can come down pay a visit, bag a few rabbit for you and eat some too?


----------



## GaryHibbert (Feb 8, 2018)

Now that does look good.  I love rabbit stew, but its been ages since I had some.
Gary


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

4 swamp rabbits cleaned and quartered
cajun seasoning mix
1/2 cup bacon drippings
2 bay leaves
1 bottle Burgundy wine
4 super Lg. white or yellow onions 1/4" dice
2 medium bell peppers 1/4" dice
1/2 cup minced garlic
1/2 bunch celery 1/4" dice
4~6 cups sliced mushrooms
(2-4) 16oz. cans Ro-tel tomatoes (original with green chillies) -as much heat as you like this is a spicy dish so kick it up!!
diced pickled jalapenos to taste
(1) 20oz. or ~ (1/2) a 2 liter bottle 7-up or Sprite
2-3 cups dark brown roux
1 cup thinly sliced green onion tops
Zest from 1/2 a lemon...finely diced (1/16")
juice of 1 lemon
salt, black and red pepper to taste

To cook:
In a 4 gallon black iron pot, heat bacon drippings on med. high heat. season rabbit liberally with cajun seasoning. Add rabbit to pot in batches and fry. Cook until outside of meat browns and starts to stick. Pull rabbit pieces from pot and set aside. Add bay leaves, white onions and cook until they turn clear, stirring and scraping bottom of pot to keep dripping from scorching. When onions are clear, add bell peppers, garlic, celery and stewed tomatoes. Cook additional 20 minutes, then deglaze pot with burgundy wine scrape bottom of pot to release drippings. Add rabbit back to pot. Reduce wine to 1/2 volume and add ro-tel tomatoes, mushrooms and slowly pour in 7-up...being careful as the carbonation will bubble up -stir constantly until all is incorporated (the carbonic acid helps to tenderize the meat ). Once bubbles settle, add lemon zest bring to a boil. Add roux and stir in...cook for 30 minutes then reduce heat to simmer, keep stirring occasionally and scrap the bottom-do not let burn! Add water as needed to retain volume. Cook for 2 1/2~3 hours until meat is fork tender. Meat is tender when leg bone is easy to move. Add green onions, check salt and pepper add as needed, simmer 20 minutes and serve over hot white rice with a good bottle of Amarone wine and hot french bread.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 8, 2018)

tallbm said:


> Man that is awesome!
> 
> Great pics and write up.  I need to make some something like that, I LOVE cajun and creole food!



Thanks tallbm,
You can make this recipe with both chicken or venison...really just about anything. Substitute 6lbs. of chicken leg quarters or 4lbs. venison stew meat. This is as authentic Cajun as you can get from a hunting camp in the bayou swamps of south Louisiana...


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

forkin pork said:


> "Snikey's" that looks sooo darn good. You all know how to cook a rabbit for sure.


Thanks. I can't take credit for this recipe, It's been a camp recipe @ my grandfather's hunting camp for a long, long time...since the club was started back in 1943. And it is a good one.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

GaryHibbert said:


> Now that does look good.  I love rabbit stew, but its been ages since I had some.
> Gary



Thanks Gary. Get you some rabbits and make you a stew my friend-you will thank me!


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 9, 2018)

That looks fantastic!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
Congrats for getting a ride on the carousel!
Al


----------



## motocrash (Feb 9, 2018)

Looks great! Congratulations on the carousel.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> That looks fantastic!
> Thanks for posting the recipe!
> Congrats for getting a ride on the carousel!
> Al


Thanks Al!


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

motocrash said:


> Looks great! Congratulations on the carousel.


Thanks Moto!


----------



## gmc2003 (Feb 9, 2018)

Looks like a great bowl of soup and a fun time. 

Point for sure.

Chris


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

Thanks gmc2003!


----------



## oddegan (Feb 9, 2018)

That looks pretty fantastic. Makes me miss rabbit hunting. I like how everyone in the group photo is smiling except for the one guy. Did he not get to shoot any rabbits?


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

oddegan said:


> Did he not get to shoot any rabbits?



Some people just do not like to smile...he actually shot the most rabbits. He is a very good shot.


----------



## chilerelleno (Feb 9, 2018)

Simply fantastic, a bountiful hunt/harvest and great meal.
Multiple *Likes* given.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

Thanks Chile! We had a ball! First rule at the hunting camp-have fun!


----------



## chilerelleno (Feb 9, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> First rule at the hunting camp-have fun!


This!  
This is the first year in many that I went deerless despite several trips.
But every trip was full of rest, relaxation and fun.
And to top it all of I got to watch my youngest take his first deer, that was a truly special event.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

<thumbs up>!!!
This recipe works very well with venison too...highly recommended.

We had a great season. Brother killed 2, cousin killed 3, I killed 2. Deer processing day is tuesday.


----------



## tritowner (Feb 9, 2018)

That really looks good! Plus the bonus is the fun you had catching the ingredients!  Nice!


----------



## one eyed jack (Feb 9, 2018)

It looks like a great day to me,from beginning to stew.

I can almost taste the stew.  Shotgun hunt, or rifle?  Walking or machines?  Never been in the swamps but would love to go on a hunt like this.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

shotgun, walking....


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

tritowner said:


> That really looks good!





one eyed jack said:


> It looks like a great day to me,from beginning to stew.


Thanks fellas! I love it! Spicy, but not burn your mouth on fire hot. Packed with flavor and when those rabbit pieces start to fall apart, oh man!!!


----------



## one eyed jack (Feb 9, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> shotgun, walking....



That was my guess. 

Thanks for the comeback.


----------



## ab canuck (Feb 9, 2018)

Wow.... That looks and sounds great.... Sounded like a great time as well, Good for you. Thx for sharing recipe as well, would be good to try. 
 Congrats on the carousel as well. Definitely worth points....


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 9, 2018)

Thanks abc...


----------



## daveomak (Feb 10, 2018)

THANK YOU !!!    I know where I failed..  About 45 years ago I shot a "swamp rabbit"...  or what my buddies called it..  Anyway, I always ate what I shot..   Cleaned and fried.. braised in beer with onions and garlic..    made a roux gravy and plated it up...   I chewed and chewed and chewed...  I never could get the meat to break down so I could swallow it.. Heck, the hunk of meat just grew the more I chewed...   So I baked a potato and put the gravy on the spud...  had to garbage the meat...  The gravy was the best I had ever tasted...  Now I know where I went wrong...  The things one learns on this forum is amazing...    Dave...


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2018)

No problem Dave... 
Both the wine and the carbonic acid from the sprite help to tenderize the rabbit. Simmer it for 2 1/2~3 hours until leg bone turns in socket and even tough old rabbits will get tender to the point of meat falling off the bone. I have rarely ever had to cook it over 4 hours. 
Ironically, these are called swamp rabbits but they are not rabbits at all, they are hares which are tougher than rabbits. The southern cousin to the snowshoe hare...
You can make this dish with snowshoes and it will be very good.


----------



## crazymoon (Feb 10, 2018)

IDS,That looks like some true comfort food right there . Great post/recipe and pics ! like


----------



## Bearcarver (Feb 10, 2018)

That looks fantastic, IDS !!!---Like.:)
Haven't had Rabbit in years!!
Mom used to make Rabbit Pie.  Yours looks Better!!

Bear


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2018)

crazymoon said:


> IDS,That looks like some true comfort food right there . Great post/recipe and pics ! like



Thanks!


bearcarver said:


> That looks fantastic, IDS !!!---Like.:)
> Haven't had Rabbit in years!!
> Mom used to make Rabbit Pie.  Yours looks Better!!
> 
> Bear



Thanks Bear, what a compliment!


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2018)

The lemon zest is an Italian touch on the dish, similar to how an Osso Bucco is made. Really kicks up the depth of flavor...every once in a while you get a burst of lemon oil while eating the gravy and it really wakes up the taste buds!! Hands down my favorite way to eat swamp rabbit....
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/osso-buco-recipe-2013380


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2018)

motocrash said:


> Looks great! Congratulations on the carousel.
> View attachment 353264


You can substitute baby portabella, wine cap, or shitaki mushrooms for the oyster mushrooms....


----------



## redheelerdog (Feb 10, 2018)

Nice work on the rabbit hunt, those rabbits are huge! Looks like some great fun. 

Way to go getting the nephew out there, he looks like he is having a ball with the boys! All the ingredients in that pot look delicious, nice work!


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 10, 2018)

Thanks Heeler...
A full grown adult swamp rabbit is 4.5~6 pounds. Lots of meat on one for sure.


----------



## troutman (Feb 13, 2018)

Just now seeing this, totally AWESOME !!  Love a good piquant and the wild mushrooms put it over the top !!  Just surprised I didn't see any nutria hiding in with the rabbits ;)

Again AWESOME Cajun meal my man !! POINT


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2018)

troutman said:


> Just surprised I didn't see any nutria hiding in with the rabbits


Look closer at that pic. again....;)


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 13, 2018)

...And thanks for the compliments and the likes everyone!


----------



## Rings Я Us (Feb 15, 2018)

Looks like ya put a dent in the rabbit population for a minute. :D
Good thread. Looks delicious.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 15, 2018)

Rings Я Us said:


> Looks like ya put a dent in the rabbit population for a minute.


Psssh...dem rabbits are inda marsh like roaches! Can't kill 'em all no matter how hard you try! 1 female can breed 3 times a year and raise 10~15 per litter....


----------



## potsieko (Feb 15, 2018)

Better watch that Tabiola boy - he can be a handful!!


----------



## motocrash (Feb 19, 2018)




----------



## indaswamp (Feb 20, 2018)

troutman said:


> Just surprised I didn't see any nutria hiding in with the rabbits


I will be making another trip down to the camp in the next couple of weeks to pack it up now that hunting season is over. We plan on harvesting some more nutrias as I want to make some nutria sausages, 50/50 with pork. I will post a thread when I make it.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 20, 2018)

Tip: use a potato peeler to zest the lemon into long 3"X 1/2" strips. Then, with a pairing knife, make cuts 1/16" apart along the strip, but only 2 1/2" long leaving them attached on one end. Do all the strips this way then stack the zest to finely dice. Only use zest from 1/2 of the lemon...I just guesstimate by volume.


----------

