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Sliced coniglio in porchetta on a wooden board showing the pancetta and herb spiral with roasted potatoes on the side

Coniglio in Porchetta: Rabbit Rolled with Fennel and Pancetta

Boned whole rabbit rolled with pancetta, garlic, rosemary and wild fennel, tied and roasted until the skin crisps and the meat hits 71C / 160F.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian (Tuscan)
Calories: 410
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg whole rabbit, boned and butterflied flat ask your butcher to bone it if you're not confident doing it yourself
  • 150 g pancetta, thin flat slices
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
  • 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed sub for wild fennel fronds if you can find them
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked

Method
 

Prep and season the rabbit
  1. Lay the boned rabbit flat, skin side down, on a cutting board and pound gently to an even thickness.
  2. Season the inside with salt, pepper, half the garlic, half the rosemary, half the fennel seeds and the lemon zest.
  3. Lay the pancetta slices over the seasoned meat in a single layer, covering it edge to edge.
Roll and tie
  1. Roll the rabbit up tightly from one short end, keeping the pancetta layer intact.
  2. Tie the roll with kitchen twine every 3 cm to hold its shape.
  3. Rub the outside with olive oil and the remaining garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds, and season with a final pinch of salt.
Roast
  1. Heat the oven to 180C / 356F.
  2. Sear the rolled rabbit in a hot ovenproof skillet with a little oil for 2 minutes per side until golden.
  3. Pour the white wine into the pan and transfer to the oven.
  4. Roast for 60 to 70 minutes, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reads 71C / 160F.
  5. Rest the roast for 10 minutes under loose foil before removing the twine and slicing into 2 cm rounds.

Notes

  • Ask the butcher to bone the rabbit flat if you don't want to do it yourself.
  • Salt the meat at least 1 hour ahead for better seasoning depth.
  • Tie the roll snugly every 3 cm so it holds shape while roasting.
  • Pull at 71C / 160F internal, not higher, to avoid dry meat.
  • Rest 10 minutes minimum before slicing so the roll firms up.