Authentic Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs in caper sauce)

Konigsberger Klopse on a blue plate with potato

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5 from 8 votes

Authentic Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs in caper sauce)

German meatballs in a creamy caper sauce. This famous dish from Germany is a rich and delicious indulgence.

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 557kcal

Author by Marita Sinden

Ingredients

For the Klopse / Meatballs

2 crusty rolls stale, best a day old. You can also use baguette or any other crusty white bread.
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion
250 g ground beef can be substituted with ground veal
250 g ground pork can be substituted with ground veal
1 egg
3 tablespoon bread crumbs
2 teaspoon lemon peel
3 anchovies (optional) finley chopped. Alternativley use ½ teaspoon anchovy paste.
1 teaspoon marjoram if not available use sage

For the broth/stock

1 litre beef broth/stock
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon all spice
1 onion quartered

For the caper sauce

3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon flour
1 pinch sugar
2 teaspoon lemon juice
350 ml from the meatball broth / stock
150 ml cream
3 tablespoon capers

to serve

3 tablespoon parsley finley chopped

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

To make the meatballs

Soak the bread rolls in some warm water for approximately 15 minutes. 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 and fall apart.
2 crusty rolls
Chop the onion finely. Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry until translucent.
1 onion , 1 tablespoon butter
In a large bowl, add the ground meat, bread pulp, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon peel, marjoram, fried onions and, if you want, anchovy or anchovy paste. Combine to a smooth mass. Season with salt and pepper.
250 g ground beef, 250 g ground pork, 1 egg , 3 tablespoon bread crumbs , 2 teaspoon lemon peel , 3 anchovies, 1 teaspoon marjoram
Now let’s start making the broth/stock. Place all ingredients in a large pot. 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 simmer 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. Remove all the meatballs with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Measure off 350 ml/ 1 ½ cups of the broth and set aside.
1 litre beef broth/stock, 1 bay leaf , ½ teaspoon all spice , 1 onion

Make the sauce

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. Bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Now add the drained capers and cream. Add lemon juice and season with some sugar and salt and pepper to taste.
3 tablespoon butter , 2 tablespoon flour , 1 pinch sugar , 2 teaspoon lemon juice , 350 ml from the meatball broth / stock, 150 ml cream , 3 tablespoon capers

Assemble

Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Serve with chopped parsley.
3 tablespoon parsley

Notes

Variations

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!
Replace some of the broth with dry white wine (about 120 ml / ½ a cup) for an especially rich sauce.
Anchovies are optional. If you don’t like them just leave them out. But they make the dish so much better! Trust me!

Storage Instructions

The Klopse (Meatballs) and sauce stay good in the fridge up to three days. Store in an airtight container.

If you want you can prepare the meatballs in bulk and then freeze them uncooked. However, you need to be aware that you should freeze the meatballs without delay. Warm ground beef and pork attract bacteria. First, freeze them individually, and then you can put them together in a freeze bag for storage. The uncooked meatballs will stay good for up to three months.

You can also freeze the cooked meatballs in the sauce. Just store in an airtight container and they stay good for up to 6 months.

Nutrition