New York’s best rabbit dishes

Don’t accuse us of being bunny boilers. Citywide butchers and chefs insist that the other-other white meat — rabbit — is one of the tastiest meats you can eat. And what’s more, it’s leaner than a leg of chicken.

“People are looking beyond bacon and pork chops for something new,” says Tom Mylan, co-owner of Meat Hook, an upscale butcher shop in Williamsburg where interest in rabbits “has gone way up” in the last six months.

Indeed, chefs at many city restaurants are featuring Thumper on the menu and finding customers are, well, game to eat him. “Most people are no longer squeamish about eating rabbit,” says Mike Anthony, chef at Gramercy Tavern, which, like some of the city’s newer eateries, features rabbit on its spring menu. “A lot of people are approaching it as a cool, exotic thing to order.”

Hop to it then, with these five standouts.

Buttermilk Fried Rabbit ($26) I Trulli, 122 E. 27th St.; 212-481-7372

Chef Patti Jackson claims she “introduced rabbit to the masses” at the cozy Apulian spot where rabbit is a staple. Dishes include a traditional ragu over orecchiette and a rabbit clay pot that she served on the Winter Restaurant Week menu earlier this year.

But regulars in the know order the fried rabbit, even though it hasn’t been on the menu since last summer.

Jackson, who makes the “superior alternative to fried chicken” by marinating hoppers in buttermilk, dredging them in flour and then deep-frying them, says, “It’s juicy, yummy and delicious.”

So delicious, in fact, that the dish is likely to jump back on the menu soon, with seasonal ramps as an accompaniment.

Rabbit-and-Ratatouille Sausage with Spaetzle ($15) The 5 & Diamond, 2072 Frederick Douglass Blvd.; 646-684-4662

Serving no less than three rabbit dishes at Harlem’s new spot The 5 & Diamond is sweet revenge for chef Ryan Skeen, who grew up with a rascal of a rabbit named Babe.

“He used to eat all the cords in the house and s – -t everywhere,” says Skeen. “If it were up to me, I probably would’ve skinned him and eaten him when I was a little.”

Thankfully, he waited until he had more inspiring motivations.

“Everyone was like there’s no way you’re going to sell rabbit in Harlem,” Skeen says. But so far, his rabbit sausage and spaetzle appetizer served with seasonal pea shoots in a Parmesan broth is one of the restaurant’s most popular starters.

Rabbit Loin with Carrot, Cardamom, and Picholine Olive Sauce (part of the $69 three-course menu, with $10 supplement) SHO Shaun Hergatt at The Setai, 40 Broad St.; 212-809-3993

Made by sous-viding and then pan-roasting a roulade of belly, puree and loins, the dish at this new French-Asian, boom-time throwback is more manipulated and far less rustic than traditional preparations.

“The amount of rabbits that I sell is ridiculous,” says chef Shaun Hergatt, who grew up hunting and eating wild rabbit in north Queensland, Australia. “I didn’t think it was going to take off like it did.”

Rabbit and Prune Terrine

(large terrine board, $42; small, $25) The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, 16 W. 29th St.; 212-679-1939

“It’s not very often you can get a rabbit terrine somewhere,” chef April Bloomfield says of her decision to include meatloaf-esque bunny on the terrine board at her new hotspot-within-the-hotspot that is the Ace Hotel. To make it, she pours a mixture of minced brined rabbit, brandy-soaked prunes and shallots into a bacon-lined mold and then cooks it in water broth.

“It’s very light, which is perfect for the recent hot weather,” she adds.

Saddle of Rabbit, Ricotta Cake and Fava Beans

(small portion, $18; larger, $33) SD26, 19 E. 26th St.; 212-265-5959

At this sleek Italian successor to the old San Domenico, the rabbit saddle is a holdover from its predecessor, but chef Odette Fada claims to have just perfected the dish in the last few weeks by adding fava beans and a custard-like ricotta cake with pecorino cheese. “These garnishes really complete the meat,” says the chef. “It’s perfect for the season.

“It’s lighter. Even the idea of the rabbit,” she muses. “Doesn’t it make you think about spring and the fields?”