COTTONTAIL CARNITAS:  As delicious as they are cute… a 
recipe for cottontail carnitas… ahead on Passport to 
Texas.

This is Passport to Texas

I think the late chef and cookbook author, Julia Child 
coined the expression: Easter Bunny Syndrome. It’s when 
we decide which animals not to eat based on their 
perceived cuteness. Rabbits fall into that category.

As Central Texas writer, cook and mom, Evin Cooper tells 
us, rabbits are as delicious as they are cute, and even 
better than pork in carnitas. She says her first attempt 
using cottontails was a success, and began with two 
rabbits in a slow cooker.

45—And, I stewed them all day with some beer and some 
homemade salsa, and let them cook and cook and cook. And 
then, let them cool—and then I deboned the meat. Then, I let the 
meat sit in the fridge overnight, and the next day I seasoned it up 
a little bit more with chili powder and cumin and all those 
wonderful Mexican spices. And I fried them in some hot oil—just 
the shredded meat—almost like hash browns. It got really crispy 
on the bottom, and I flipped it over and got it crispy on the other 
side—almost to the point of burnt. Then, I put it in warm corn 
tortillas with avocado slices and lime juice. It was so good. I 
mean, I’ve given up pork for my carnitas. And I want to use 
almost entirely cottontail now. It’s just delicious.

Find Evin Cooper’s Cottontail Carnitas recipe at 
passporttotexas.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
 











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