My go-to recipe for cottontails are bunny burgers. I soak my butchered bunnies in buttermilk overnight to remove the gamy taste. (Some chefs use a vinegar or brine solution.) I debone the meat and put it in a food processor, along with some bacon, onions, an egg to bind the mixture, minced garlic, a little olive oil, maybe some bread crumbs, and some herbs and spices of choice. Wild rabbit meat has almost no fat, so it's important to add some fat content (unless you like chewing rubber!) I grind the concoction like hamburger, and fry it in patties just like hamburgers. It is important to use medium heat and slow-fry it so as to keep the meat tender. Flip often. Do not overcook. (Again, the rubber thang.) Prepare on buns with toppings you usually put on hamburgers.
Or, if you're not into brevity, you can brown the pieced bunny (bone-in) and then braise it for a couple hours, You can then just eat it off the bone (I like BBQ sauce) or debone and put in soup or stew. Another thing I have tried , which I like, is to mix chopped, braised bunny with mayo like tuna fish, mixed with herbs and spices (don't forget the garlic!), onions, relish, celery, and whatnot. Then make sandwiches with tomatoes. Yummy!
Plus, there's a boatload of recipes on YouTube. You can't go wrong with Ted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4zKGdtug7k Wow, I just watched Ted's video again, and I'm
definitely preparing my next bunny that way. That meat looked succulent!