Finding rabbit meat isn’t easy. It may not be readily available at the grocer where you buy your groceries every week, but rabbit meat is healthy. It is lean, high in protein, and a sustainable source. So where can you buy rabbit meat? How do you know you are buying quality?
Rabbit meat is a game-meat and very much a delicacy. It is a sustainable and healthy source of protein that is low in calories and high in protein. You won’t find rabbit meat at your supermarket or grocer, but you can ask your butcher or order online to ensure you are buying quality.
Top 5 Places to Buy Rabbit Meat
Here are the best 5 places where you can buy quality rabbit meat:
D’Artagnan
Having been in business since 1985, D’Artagnan is known for its dedication to sustainability, free from hormones and antibiotics. They offer free-range high-quality meats that are sourced from small family-owned farms.
D’Artagnan sells a variety of white rabbit meat. You can buy a whole rabbit (3 pounds on average), and this is also one of their bestsellers. Your other options are boneless rabbit loin, bone-in rabbit saddle, rabbit legs, and rabbit and ginger sausage. All of these cuts and the whole rabbit can be bought fresh or frozen.
The rabbit meat is sourced from New Zealand white and California white rabbits that are humanely raised.
The company takes the ultimate care with delivery, packing your order in a biodegradable foam insulated box with ice packs to ensure your meat remains at optimal temperature.
igourmet.com
Launched in 1997, igourmet.com is an online store that started out selling fine foods and cheeses. The company’s interests have grown, and currently, they also sell gifts, sweets, meat-kits, prepared meals, poultry, and meat.
For your rabbit meat needs, igourmet.com sells rabbits with white wine and herbs sausages, rabbit loins, and rabbit fryers (or young rabbits).
All of their rabbit meat is sourced from farms in Iowa, where the California white and New Zealand white rabbits are naturally bred and raised.
All rabbit meat orders are shipped via EXPRESS shipping so your game meat arrives fresh.
Nicky USA
Nicky USA has been around since 1990 and continues to provide meats and specialty games that are of superior quality. The company is located in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
Their house brand, Nicky Farms, supplies premium rabbit meat, as well as venison, water buffalo, partridge, goat, and more.
They sell packages of 1.5-2.5 pounds of rabbit liver and 2.5-3.5 pounds of whole rabbit fryers.
Marx Foods
Marx Foods gets its quality rabbit meat from a family-run rabbit breeder in Spain. Grupo Hermi has been raising rabbits for 40 years and they ensure that all aspects of the breeding, farming, processing, and packaging are well controlled to ensure high standards are met.
At Marx Foods, you can buy different cuts of rabbit meat:
- Bone-in saddles
- Hind leg quarters
- Boneless saddlers
- Livers
- Whole fryers
- Ground meat
- Rib chops
- Striploins
The rabbit hind leg quarters and the rabbit whole fryers are their best sellers.
At this company, where shipping is free on all orders, you can also order other quality meat, poultry, seafood, and produce.
Prairie Harvest Specialty Foods
Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, Prairie Harvest Specialty Foods mainly works with professional chefs; however, the company also sells premium quality proteins to the general public.
They sell all-white-meat from rabbits in the form of 6-7 ounces of hindquarters or whole rabbits that weigh between 2.5 to 3 pounds. The rabbit meat you order from Prairie Harvest Specialty Foods comes frozen and is sourced from Iowa.
The company caters to all your protein needs since you can also buy beef, wagyu, elk, duck, wild boar, and various meat boxes.
What to Consider When Buying Rabbit Meat
The first consideration when buying rabbit meat is to buy local as your meat will be fresher; however, since this type of meat is not available where you normally buy your groceries, this may not be an option.
If you can buy locally, look for a local rabbit breeder who is raising the bunnies in a natural environment and also feeding them organically. You don’t want to consume rabbit meat that is full of hormones and antibiotics as growth hormones aren’t healthy.
You can also ask your butcher to order rabbit meat for you or you can order it online via a reputable seller who specializes in game meat.
Kindly note that where your rabbit meat was processed may not have been inspected by the USDA (Department of Agriculture) but this depends on your region.
Is Rabbit Meat Safe and Healthy?
Rabbit meat is safe and healthy provided the rabbits have been bred and raised naturally, so the meat is free from antibiotics and hormones. This kind of meat tastes like chicken; however, it is meatier and earthier.
With regard to the health benefits of consuming rabbit meat, it
- Has the lowest number of calories per pound
- Has the lowest percentage of fat
- Has the highest percentage of protein
- Is as nutritious as fish
- Has a relatively high concentration of minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium
- Has optimal levels of choline, zinc, copper, and phosphorus
- Doesn’t have high levels of sodium
- Is rich in vitamins B12 and E and a great source of vitamins B3 and B6
- Contains almost double the amount of amino acids (compared to chicken or beef)
Why Is Rabbit Meat Expensive?
Rabbit meat is expensive because it isn’t readily available or obtainable when compared to other meat. It is regarded as a delicacy game meat and hasn’t been adopted as part of regular meals.
Moreover, rabbits are more expensive to keep than most other animals and young rabbits can’t be fed in large groups, driving up the price of rabbit meat.
Final Thoughts
It is very likely that you won’t be able to find rabbit meat at your Walmart or local supermarket. Your butcher may need to order some for you, or you can click “buy” on a reputable online seller of game meat.
Reputable online sellers that you can order your rabbit meat from D’Artagnan, igourmet.com, Nicky USA, Marx Foods, and Prairie Harvest Specialty Foods.
If you haven’t yet tried rabbit meat, you should. It is healthy, sustainable, and tasty – you can use it in casseroles, stews, soups, roast, and more. And it pairs well with sauces and fruits.
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