Updated May 13, 2020 763 votes 239 voters 21.9K views
Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Most Appetizing Meals From ‘Hannibal’ You Might Actually Try
Voting Rules
Vote up the meals that look appetizing even considering the chef’s unique ingredients.
For three mouthwatering years, Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal was a feast for the senses. The strength of its expressionistic approach was none other than the dazzling visual presentation of the title character’s singularly carnivorous appetite. It was as much a cooking show as anything on the Food Network, with the eponymous doctor delivering grandiose meals week after week - making us all hungry in the process.
In order to pull off this culinary gambit in a manner befitting the elegantly theatrical Dr. Hannibal Lecter (brought to life by Mads Mikkelsen), the show's producers hired a food designer - Janice Poon - to make and plate each dish. "At heart it’s a horror genre, and I didn’t know which way they were going," Poon told GQ. She was tasked with keeping the cuisine macabre while making audiences salivate. Visually, the results speak for themselves - the perfect palette for Hannibal’s palate.
The origins of Hannibal’s meals span the globe, and many are rooted in ancient or medieval cooking practices. The recipes, needless to say, call for lots of fat and lots of meat - from animals, of course. Then again, ingredients are merely details. If you don’t ask what’s on your plate, we won’t tell. So, just among friends: Which of these gourmet meals look good enough to eat? And if you're hungry for more thrilling series, make sure to check out these other shows like Hannibal.
Occasion: The long-running, slow-burning, intimate tete-a-tete between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham reaches a milestone in this scene, as the latter puts into motion a unique gambit (with Freddie Lounds as the convenient pawn) intended to ensnare the former.
What follows is one of the series’ most romantic scenes - a scene of seduction, with Will playing the role of a predator even as he locks eyes with the ultimate predator. But who is playing whom? Or are they both willing, self-aware participants? The answer to this question is just as nebulous as the nature of the meat they’re sharing; Will insists it's a “slim and delicate pig,” but Hannibal doesn’t think so. “It’s long pig,” Will clarifies.
Recipe: The traditional Peruvian recipe calls for steak, but pork or chicken can be used. The recipe provided by the show's food designer Janice Poon includes:
12 ounces sirloin steak cut in strips
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, optional
1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds, optional
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, in thin wedges
1 tablespoon aji sauce or other hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen spicy French fried potatoes
2 to 3 sprigs cilantro, chopped
Occasion: A leg is missing, first of all. Or so we think before seeing our dear Hannibal unwrap said leg like a fresh cut of beef, then cleanly slice it into four robust pieces. It’s already tantalizing - and that’s before we get a close-up of Hannibal handling those shanks into a full flour dredge, then dicing, squeezing, and pouring the remaining ingredients into a pan and sliding it into the oven.
The final result is an immaculate serving of... let’s call it veal. That he prepares four servings despite eating dinner alone - along with a bottle of red wine - can only mean one thing: You and two of your friends are cordially invited to a home-cooked meal with master chef Hannibal Lecter. Who could say no to that?
Recipe: Osso buco is an Italian veal dish traditionally served with risotto or polenta. Giada De Laurentiis's recipe calls for:
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 dry bay leaf
2 whole cloves
Cheesecloth
Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks
3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Occasion: A manipulative power exercise between Hannibal Lecter and Abigail Hobbs - part protege, part accomplice, part patsy - begins with a mind-altering mushroom appetizer and continues with a classic American breakfast. The combination is not incidental; as Hannibal argues, “Taste is not only biochemical, it’s also psychological.” He opens up her mind, and her subconscious, while nourishing her with the very meal her father was preparing the morning he was caught, changing Abigail’s life forever.
That the finished product resembles a sideways smiley face - egg-yolk saucer eyes, beef sausages curled into a grin - suggests a certain childlike delight. As a purveyor of comfort food, Hannibal has few equals - no matter what those sausages are made of.
Recipe: This meal is also known as huevos (eggs) high life, and it's a fairly plain frying pan concoction involving:
Occasion: At this point in Season 1, Hannibal is withholding from Will the truth about his encephalitis - with the complicity of Will’s neurologist Dr. Sutcliffe. The two accomplices sit down to discuss the situation over an elaborate meal at Hannibal’s home, during which the correlation between Will Graham and Hannibal’s primal appetite is put in no uncertain terms.
With a giant leg of a rare Spanish ham joining the two at the dinner table, Dr. Sutcliffe remarks about his colleague’s taste for “rare treats.” He states, “The more expensive and difficult to attain, the better.” He then mentions Will specifically: “I know you’re fond of the rarefied - what makes him so rare?” We might stop to consider the varied implications of this connection... but, come on - do you see that giant leg? Who’s turning that down? Anyone? Frankly, saying no to Hannibal’s jamón ibérico - one of only a few thousand selected for slaughter each year, he points out - would be rude.
Recipe: This is a special type of Spanish ham, and there are many fun, easy ways to include this meat in dishes. Spanish tomato bread with ham is a quick, tasty appetizer. One recipe calls for:
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper
20 slices of baguette
5 to 6 slices of Serrano ham
Occasion: A special occasion if there ever was one. After all, it’s not every day that the main course and guest of honor are one and the same. Our compliments to Mr. Abel Gideon and his sacrificial gam. By Hannibal’s code of ethics, that’s simply the price you pay for trying to take credit for a man’s life’s work - no matter the vocation.
The importance of this particular feast is why the good doctor sprang for the clay - which, he assures us, “makes for a more succulent dish. And adds a little theatricality to dinner.” No need to just take his word for it; we see every mouthwatering detail of the preparation. The garlic, shallots, and seasoning are folded inside a massive slab of meat, which is then wrapped in prosciutto, wrapped again in lotus leaves, and then packed and cooked in clay. Once it’s ready to serve, the clay-roasted thigh - carved into thin, tender slices - speaks for itself. Even Abel enjoys a taste - much to Hannibal’s delight.
Recipe: This technique can be used to cook different types of meats, but many recipes call for whole pork loins, including this one by chef Andrew Rea:
4 pounds non-toxic, non-polymer, oven-hardening clay
9 shallots, peeled and halved
3 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 cup dong quai
4 medium-sized pieces of tong sum
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup dried longan flesh
1/2 cup dried gocce berries
1 whole pork loin
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
3 ounces prosciutto
2 large reconstituted lotus leaves
1 large beef marrow bone, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Butcher's twine
Occasion: Ostensibly, this is a meeting of the minds between Dr. Lecter and Jack Crawford to discuss Will Graham’s mental health, which soon begets an impromptu therapy session (“You’ve already told me about your mother; why stop there?”). More accurately, though, this is a scene about Hannibal’s desire - be it his fledgling interest in Will, his aspirations toward Jack and his wife (“I’d love to have you both for dinner”), or, most pressingly, the meal he has so eagerly prepared for Jack.
On the menu is pork loin with Cumberland sauce - or, to put it another way, white meat coated in a rich red liquid. Hannibal’s pride in the dish is obvious in the way he eyeballs his colleague with increasing satisfaction after Jack’s every bite. And why shouldn’t he be proud? From the scene’s dramatic opening pour - lush crimson bleeding over three tender slices of roasted meat - it’s hard not to be enticed by this harmony of flavors tart and mild.
Recipe: The traditional English Cumberland sauce should be served over thinly sliced pork loin. The ingredients include:
1 orange
1 lemon
1 cup white sugar, granulated
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought red currant jelly
2 tablespoons ruby port
1 cinnamon stick
