Königsberger Klopse Recipe (German meatballs in caper sauce)

Delicious boiled meatballs in a creamy caper sauce - decadent indulgence. Of course, I am talking about the famous Königsberger Klopse. One of the most popular regional recipes in Germany. Not only is it very delicious it is also a mysterious interesting dish.

Why do I find this recipe so interesting? Maybe because of its origin the town of Königsberg now Kaliningrad, is located in Russia about 7 hours drive from the German border. Also the flavour combination capers, anchovies and capers, are not typically German at all. Let's have a look at this dish.

What are Königsberger Klopse? 

Königsberger Klopse is a Prussian dish that consists of boiled veal meatballs with anchovies, served in a white sauce with capers. It Is sometimes also referred to as “sour meatballs” as the addition of capers, anchovy and lemon juice gives the dish a sour flavour. 

This dish was at first reserved for the upper class as two of the main ingredients, veal and anchovies, were expensive. However, over time the veal was replaced with beef or pork (or a mixture of the two) and the anchovies substituted with chopped herring. Soon two versions of this dish developed alongside another: one for the upper and another for the lower classes.

The name for this dish is put together by two components. Königsberg (which is the town it originates from -more about the history further down) and Klopse. Klopse is the East-German term for meatballs. There are several different meatball names in Germany- as you can read in my article about Frikadellen.

You will hear this dish referred to by different names in Germany. Other terms include 

• Saure Klopse (literally translated as sour meatballs) 
• Kapernklopse (literally tranlslated as caper meatballs)
• Soßklopse (literally translated as sauce meatballs) 

Königsberger Klopse History

The history of the Königsberger Klopse had its origins in the 19^th century. Königsberg is a town that today lies in Russia and is called Kaliningrad. Königsberger Klopse was the royal residency of Prussia since 1724. It used to be an important trading port, which explains the influence of anchovies and capers in this dish. [Wikipedia: Königsberg]

This regional delicacy gained popularity in Germany, as housemaids were sent from the East to Germany to work. Also, the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant was an admirer of these creamy German meatballs. He lived in Königsberg and served his numerous guests this Prussian dish. This is how Königsberger Klopse started to appear as a German delicacy in numerous cookbooks – and was now deemed acceptable for the upper classes.

Today it is still one of the most popular regional dishes in Germany. According to a Forsa Survey in 2009, 93% of Germans knew of this dish. [Source FAZ www.regionale-küche]

How to make Königsberger Klopse

Ingredients for 4 people

For the Klopse 

• 1 tbsp butter 
• 1 little onion
• 500 gr / 17.6 oz minced veal. Alternatively use a mixture of 250 g /8.8 oz beef and 250 g 8.8 oz pork mince. 
• 2 stale white rolls. Ideally a day old. 
• 1 egg 
• 3 tbsp bread crumbs 
• 2 tsp lemon peel 
• 3 anchovy fillets or 1 tsp anchovy paste. (optional) 
• 1 tsp marjoram (if not available you can substitute with sage)

For the broth 

• 1 ltr / 44 fl oz broth/stock (I used beef stock you can also use chicken or vegetable) 
• 1 bay leaf 
• ½ tsp allspice 
• 1 onion quartered

For the sauce 

• 3 tbsp butter 
• 2 tbsp flour 
• 1 pinch sugar 
• 2 tsp lemon juice 
• 350 ml/ 11.4 fl oz stock/broth from the meatballs 
• 150 ml/ 5 fl oz whipping cream 
• 3 tsp capers

to serve

About 3 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)

Konigsberger Klopse Recipe

1. Soak the bread rolls in some water. Once soft, squeeze out all the liquid with the help of a colander or cheesecloth. This is important as you do not want your meatballs to become too soggy. 
2. Chop the onion finely. Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the onions until translucent. 
3. In a large bowl, add the mince, bread pulp, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon peel, fried onions and, if you want anchovy or anchovy paste. Combine to a smooth mass. Season with salt and pepper. From there form some meatballs. Mine were about 7 cm in diameter. Place them on a plate, cover them and place them in the fridge. (This will help them to harden a bit). 

4. Now let’s start making the broth/stock. Place all ingredients in a large pot (at least 5 liter). Bring the broth/stock to a boil and then reduce the heat so it just simmers. Add the meatballs to the simmering water. (The water should not boil wildly). Leave to slowly cook for 15-20 minutes. Always check that the largest meatball is cooked through before removing all the meatballs from the broth. Fish out all the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate. Measure off 350 ml of the broth and set aside. 
5. To make the sauce, melt the butter in the saucepan. Add flour and mix until it forms a smooth paste. Slowly pour in the broth. The sauce should no longer boil. Now add the drained capers and cream. Add lemon juice and season with some sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the egg yolk to thicken the sauce. 
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Serve with chopped parsley. 

TIP: Do not discard the rest of the broth, as it works well as a base for a sauce. For example you can use the stock for making German Potato Soup or Pea Soup.

Recipe Variations

• Koenigsberger Klopse without capers. (For those of you who do not like capers you can omit them, although you don’t get the same sour taste. Another idea is to secretly chop them up very finely and add them to the meatballs. Nobody will know but you!
• For a specially rich sauce, you can replace 100 ml of the broth with some dry white wine.
• Nowadays the anchovies are optional. If you don’t like them just leave them out.
• To make Vegan Konigsberger Klopse, you can replace the meat mince with a mix of smoked and natural tofu. Here is a link to the recipe (in German)

What to serve with Königsberger Klopse

In Germany this dish most commonly served with boiled or mashed potatoes. Especially floury potatoes work well to soak up the rich caper sauce. However it they are also eaten with rice and Bandnudeln (which are similar to Tagliatelle).

Popular side dishes to Königsberger Klopse are also pickled Beetroot, Sauerkraut or Red Cabbage. They go well with the sweet and sour taste of the dish.

A Green Salat also goes well with this rich dish. I would suggest this cucumber and radish salad.

How to store this dish.

The Klopse (Meatballs) can be frozen and stay good for up to three months. I would not suggest freezing the sauce, as cream tends to separate one thawed.

Did you try this recipe?

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