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1
Rinse the rabbits and pat them dry with paper towels.
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2
Cut each one into three pieces; the hind legs, the front legs, and the loin.
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3
Cut the hind and front leg sections into 2 pieces each, leaving the loin in one piece.
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4
You should now have 5 sections per rabbit.
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5
Place the rabbit pieces in a large deep nonreactive bowl.
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6
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, reduce the orange juice to half a cup.
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7
In a small bowl, combine the pepper, fennel, saffron, cayenne, and salt.
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8
Add the reduced orange juice and the lemon juice, whisk together, and let stand for 10 or 15 minutes.
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9
Add the honey and mix together.
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10
Pour this mixture over the rabbit pieces, toss so that each one is evenly coated, and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, loosely covered.
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11
Toss the pieces every 15 minutes.
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12
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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13
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
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14
Roast the rabbit for 20 to 25 minutes, until done through with no trace of pink remaining.
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15
Baste once with the marinade halfway through the cooking time, then again when you remove the rabbit from the oven.
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16
Place the rabbit pieces on a platter and surround them with sprigs of watercress and wedges of lemon.
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17
Drain the onion slices briefly on paper towels, separate them into rings and scatter them over the top.
