Name: Coniglio alla ligure
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian, Liguria
Ingredients: 1.5 kg rabbit, jointed into serving pieces and patted dry; 200 g onion, thinly sliced; 10 g garlic, finely chopped; 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 250 ml dry red wine, Rossese or another light dry red works well; 350 ml light meat stock, kept hot; 8 g fine sea salt, divided and adjusted to the olives; 2 g freshly ground black pepper; 80 g pitted Taggiasca olives, drained; 50 g pine nuts, lightly toasted; 8 g fresh rosemary, finely chopped; 6 g fresh marjoram or thyme, leaves chopped; 2 bay leaves

Coniglio alla ligure: wide hero view of browned rabbit pieces in a metal pan with dark Taggiasca-style olives, pine nuts and a glossy herb-scented pan sauce

Prep30 minutes

Cook1 h 30 min

Total2 h 10 min

Yield6 servings

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The dish

About Coniglio alla ligure

Coniglio alla ligure is a deeply regional combination of lean rabbit, small Taggiasca olives, pine nuts, wine and Mediterranean herbs. Italia.it identifies the dish among Liguria’s characteristic foods, and modern Italian recipes retain the same core even when details such as tomatoes or the exact herb mix vary.

The verified photographs show browned rabbit in a metal pan with dark olives and a glossy, relatively clear sauce rather than a tomato-heavy braise. This production version therefore follows the tomato-free branch of the tradition, keeping the visual identity centred on rabbit, olives, pine nuts and herbs.

Rabbit has little protective fat, so the first browning stage should create colour without drying the meat. Pieces are dried carefully and browned in batches. Wine then dissolves the fond before warm stock is added for the slower braise.

Olives contribute both salt and fruitiness. They enter after the rabbit has begun to tenderise so their flavour remains distinct and the sauce does not become excessively salty. Pine nuts are toasted separately and added near the end, preserving their texture.

The sauce should reduce to a light glaze rather than a large volume of broth. Resting the rabbit for ten minutes in the covered pan lets the lean meat settle and gives the herbs, wine and olives time to integrate.

Technique

Three things that matter

Dry and brown the rabbit in batches. Crowding or wet meat steams instead of building the savoury browned surface that flavours the sauce.
Braise at a gentle simmer. Low, steady heat tenderises rabbit without tightening the lean meat.
Add olives and pine nuts late enough to stay distinct. They should season the finished pan sauce without disappearing into a long boil.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Ingredients

Rabbit and aromatics

1.5 kgrabbitjointed into serving pieces and patted dry
200 gonionthinly sliced
10 ggarlicfinely chopped
60 mlextra-virgin olive oildivided
250 mldry red wineRossese or another light dry red works well
350 mllight meat stockkept hot
8 gfine sea saltdivided and adjusted to the olives
2 gfreshly ground black pepper

Ligurian finish

80 gpitted Taggiasca olivesdrained
50 gpine nutslightly toasted
8 gfresh rosemaryfinely chopped
6 gfresh marjoram or thymeleaves chopped
2bay leaves

Step by step

Method

Brown the rabbit

Season and sear in batches. Season the dry rabbit lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 40 ml olive oil in the casserole over medium-high heat and brown the pieces in batches for 8–10 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
The exterior should be well browned but not scorched; the pot should retain a dark fond.
Soften the aromatics. Lower the heat, add the remaining oil, onion and garlic and cook 7–8 minutes until soft. Stir in rosemary, marjoram or thyme and bay for the final minute.
The onion should be translucent and lightly golden, never burnt around the garlic.

Deglaze and braise

Reduce the wine. Return the rabbit to the casserole, add the red wine and simmer 4–5 minutes, scraping the base, until the raw alcohol aroma fades.
The liquid should reduce noticeably and pick up the browned residue from the pan.
Braise gently with stock. Add 300 ml hot stock, cover partially and cook at a very gentle simmer for 50 minutes, turning the pieces once or twice. Add the remaining stock only if the pan becomes dry.
The liquid should bubble lazily around the meat rather than boil hard.

Finish with olives and pine nuts

Add olives and reduce. Stir in the Taggiasca olives and cook uncovered for another 15–20 minutes, until the rabbit is tender and the thickest pieces reach at least 71°C.
The sauce should reduce to a shallow, glossy coating around the meat.
Add pine nuts and rest. Fold in the toasted pine nuts, taste for salt and pepper, then cover and rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving.
The pine nuts should remain crisp and the olives visibly distinct in the finished pan.

Practical guidance

Rabbit pieces

Jointed rabbit cooks more evenly than a whole carcass. Smaller foreleg pieces may become tender sooner and can be held in the sauce off heat if necessary.

Taggiasca olives

These small Ligurian olives are central to the dish. If substituting, choose a mild black olive rather than a strongly vinegar-cured variety.

Wine

A light dry red gives depth without turning the sauce heavy. Reduce it before adding stock so the flavour remains clean.

Make-ahead

The braise can be cooked one day ahead and reheated gently. Add freshly toasted pine nuts after reheating to restore contrast.

Troubleshooting

The rabbit is dry. The pan simmered too hard or the pieces cooked too long. Use a bare simmer and remove smaller pieces once tender.
The sauce is thin. Finish uncovered for several minutes after the rabbit is cooked, reducing only until it coats the meat.
The dish is too salty. The olives contributed more brine than expected. Salt the rabbit lightly at first and correct seasoning only near the end.
The pine nuts are soft. They were simmered too long. Toast separately and fold in during the final minutes or just before resting.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 rabbit portion with sauce
Calories: approximately 560 kcal
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 63 g
Fat: 28 g
Fibre: 2 g
Sodium: approximately 820 mg

Rabbit cut, olive salinity and the amount of sauce served can change the values substantially.

Allergens and food safety

Contains tree nuts; wine contains sulfites unless a sulfite-free product is used.

Keep raw rabbit chilled, prevent cross-contamination, and cook the thickest meat portions to at least 71°C.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days; reheat thoroughly to 74°C before serving hot again.

FAQ

Does coniglio alla ligure always contain tomatoes?

No. Versions vary. This photographed version is deliberately tomato-free so olives, pine nuts, wine and herbs remain visually and aromatically dominant.

What are Taggiasca olives?

They are small Ligurian olives with a mild, fruity, slightly nutty character and are a defining regional ingredient in this dish.

Can the dish be made ahead?

Yes. The braise reheats well; add or refresh the toasted pine nuts at the end so they remain crisp.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Tender browned rabbit in a concentrated herb-and-wine pan sauce, punctuated by dark Taggiasca olives and toasted pine nuts.
Key: Brown well, braise gently and control the timing of the olives and pine nuts so every component remains distinct.

About Coniglio alla ligure

Three things that matter

Ingredients

Ingredients

Rabbit and aromatics

Ligurian finish

Method

Practical guidance

Rabbit pieces

Taggiasca olives

Wine

Make-ahead

Troubleshooting

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

Does coniglio alla ligure always contain tomatoes?

What are Taggiasca olives?

Can the dish be made ahead?

What matters most

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