Florida Rum-Braised Rabbit

• About
• Latest Posts

Follow

Justin Townsend

Editor-in-Chief at Harvesting Nature

Justin (Choctaw) is an avid hunter, angler, and chef whose passion for the outdoors lead him to create Harvesting Nature in 2011. He continues to hunt, fish, and cook all while sharing his experiences with others through film, podcasts, print, and with recipes. He also proudly serves in the United States Coast Guard.

Follow

Latest posts by Justin Townsend (see all)

• LIVE! Cooking by Cut: The Wild Game Butchery and Cookbook We Wanted to Write - September 1, 2026
• World Sauces for Wild Game: Puerto Rican Pique - August 19, 2026
• Herb-Crusted Venison Chops with Caper Aioli - June 5, 2026

I recently watched a film that was shot in South Florida which depicted a family hunting rabbits as the sugar cane was being harvested. The rabbits would run out of the cane as the thresher mowed down the stalks. As they ran out, the kids would chase them and strike them down with large sticks. This may seem a little rough, but there is a long tradition of harvesting rabbits with sticks. Many Southeastern American Indian tribes would use bulky throwing sticks to kill or knock rabbits out while hunting.

This film also got me thinking about pairing Florida ingredients with the Florida rabbits that I harvested. Those thoughts culminated into this delicious recipe. I combined local mango, habanero, and a local Florida Spiced Rum called Righteous Rum and Spice from Old St Pete Distilling. The resulting flavors were spicy and sweet with a beautifully tender texture of the rabbit meat.

Serves: 2 people

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Special Equipment: Dutch Oven

Looking for more delicious rabbit recipes? Try out this Better-than-Takeout Rabbit Pad Thai dish by Derek Towles!

Listen to our Podcast
Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Amazon Music

Get a Copy of our New Book!

Florida Rum Braised Rabbit

Recipe by Justin Townsend

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Wild Recipes

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Quarters and loins from 1 rabbit

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 4 tablespoon coconut oil

• 1/2 leek finely diced

• 1 celery stalks diced

• 1/2 cup onion diced

• 4 garlic cloves minced

• 1 medium tomato, diced

• 2 hot peppers, minced

• 1/2 mango, diced

• 1 thyme sprigs

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp organic tomato paste

• 3/4 cup wild game stock

• 3/4 cup spiced rum

• Serve with

• 2 cups cooked white rice

• Plantain Chips

• Hot Sauce

Preparation

• Bring a medium Dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stove top. Add the coconut oil.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Amply season the rabbit bits with the salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder then dredge in flour.
• Place the quarters and loins in the Dutch oven and brown each side. Remove and set aside.
• Add the leek, celery, onion, garlic, tomato, hot pepper, mango, thyme, bay leaf, ginger powder, allspice, and cumin.
• Saute for 2-3 minutes and the return the rabbit to the Dutch oven.
• Add the tomato paste, game stock, and rum
• Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven and cook for 1 hour. Stir the mixture and return to cook for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for 10 minutes to brown.
• Serve over rice with a side of plantain chips, hot sauce, and a nice cold rum drink.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @harvestingnature on Instagram and hashtag it with #harvestingnature

Like this recipe?

Follow @harvestingnature on Pinterest

Join our Facebook Group!

Join Harvesting Nature’s Facebook group Harvesting Nature – The Group