Königsberger Klopse: German Meatballs in Creamy Caper Sauce
This is the authentic recipe for classic German Königsberger Klopse, or meatballs in a lemon and caper sauce. Königsberger Klopse meatballs are unique in that they are poached.
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Königsberger Klopse meatballs always contain ground pork and at least one other ground meat, like beef or veal. The meat is very finely ground, mixed with seasonings, and then dropped into a boiling poaching liquid or bone broth/stock, where it is cooked like dumplings. Capers and lemon flavor the creamy sauce the meatballs are served in.
This traditional Geman meatball recipe is best saved for a Sunday dinner. Königsberger Klopse is not an easy weeknight meal you can whip up on a whim; it is best reserved for special occasions or when you have more time and energy.
That said, you can always make a double or triple batch of meatballs and freeze them for later cooking. The sauce is quite simple to whip up when it’s the only thing you’re making.
Serve these creamy meatballs with other classic German side dishes, such as boiled potatoes in a butter parsley sauce (as pictured), mashed potatoes, spaetzle, bread dumplings, or more. Check out all of my other traditional German recipes, too!
Equipment
- A large bowl for mixing raw ingredients.
- Spoons for stirring and measuring, slotted spoon, whisk, knives, and cutting boards for prepping.
- A plate or platter to put raw meatballs onto.
- A large, wide pot to poach the meatballs. Shallow preferred.
- A medium saucepan or skillet to make the lemon-caper sauce.
- A skillet to saute the onions.
Ingredients: Key Notes, Variations, & Substitutions
Below you will see the ingredients needed to make the meatballs, the lemon-caper sauce, as well as the side dish of boiled potatoes and butter-parsley sauce I’ve chosen to make here. The side is optional, and to keep this short and to the point, the actual recipe for butter-parsley sauce potatoes is not included.
- Ground Meat: Königsberger Klopse is always made with ground pork and at least one other meat like ground beef. I prefer to use an equal mixture of ground pork, ground beef, and ground veal. Feel free to experiment with ground turkey or even lamb or wild game meats.
- Anchovy: Anchovy fillets or paste might be used, I prefer fillets. This will not make this dish taste fishy, but rather give it a deep umami flavor in the background. Anchovy paste and fillets are commonly found in every grocery store. You can also use other fish sauces if you wish.
- Bread: I prefer using sourdough bread over bread crumbs. Crusts should be removed. Stle bread should be soaked in just enough milk or water to make it soft enough to mix with the other ingredients.
- Poaching Liquid: Königsberger Klopse meatballs are not fried; they are poached. The best thing to use is a simple poaching liquid, which I will provide instructions and ingredients for in the recipe card. You can also use bone broth or stock. A stock cube in water is also a great substitution. It doesn’t really matter if you use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock.
Full ingredients are listed in the recipe card, along with the quantities of each.
Step-by-Step Instructions (Key Recipe Process Photos Included)
Step 1: Prepare all your ingredients and have them ready to go. If you’re making the poaching stock, it should be made first and allowed to simmer gently to extract the flavors as you make the Königsberger Klopse meatballs. If using your premade bone broth/stock, get it ready to go on the stovetop, and be mindful of the time it takes to reach a boil.
Saute the finely diced onions for 5 minutes until translucent, and allow them to cool. Mix all of the ingredients except for the ground meat together in a large bowl and knead vigorously. Add the meat to the mixture and continue to knead well until thoroughly combined. Because these German meatballs will be poached, you can mix them harder than you would with other varieties.
Step 2: Moisten your hands with cool water and form the meatballs into firm falls. They should be about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter. Make sure your poaching liquid is simmering, and bring it up to a boil as the meatballs will lower the temperature of the liquid as they are dropped into it. A wide, shallow pot is best for poaching.
Step 3: Drop your meatballs in using a slotted spoon, and do not let them rest on the bottom of the pot, or they may break and fall apart. Do not let the liquid boil; it should be simmering gently. They will simmer for 10 minutes. Gently remove them from the liquid and set aside covered in foil as you prepare the sauce. Reserve the liquid for the sauce.
Step 4: Your sauce can now be prepared. Melt butter in a heavy skillet or medium saucepan and stir in the flour once the foam has subsided. Whisk until the flour is no longer raw but not deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the poaching liquid/bone broth and bring this mixture to a boil. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes very smooth and creamy and then reduce the heat to low.
Add the lemon juice and capers and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and ensuring there is no burning.
Now temper the beaten egg yolks and sour cream: slowly add spoonfuls of the hot sauce to the yolk-sour-cream mixture, stirring constantly with a fork so they don’t break. About 1/2 cup of the hot sauce should be added to the mixture like this before the entire mixture can be poured back into the cooking sauce. Turn off heat and continue to mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Add the cooked meatballs into this sauce and simmer them, basting the top with sauce occasionally until they are hot and ready.
Step 6: Add the cooked saucy meatballs onto individual plates or a platter for serving. Serve with extra sauce poured on top and fresh parsley. Cracked black pepper is also nice as a finishing touch.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Königsberger klopse meatballs:
- Butter Parsley Potatoes
- Authentic German Spaetzle (Easy)
- German Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)
- Easy Homemade Egg Noodles
Ingredients
For The Caper-Lemon Sauce
- 5 tbsp Butter Unsalted
- 5 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 1 Lemon Juiced and zested with half of the zest reserved for adding to the meatballs
- 1 tbsp Capers Drained
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Sour Cream
For The Poaching Liquid (If Not Using Bone Broth or Stock)
- 2 Quarts Water
- 1 Large Onion Peeled and sliced in half
- 1 Carrot
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 5 Whole Peppercorns
For The Meatballs
- 1 lbs Ground meat Pork mixed with beef is best
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Large Onion Finely diced and sauteed
- 2 Slices Sourdough Bread Or 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Butter Unsalted
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 tbsp Worcester Sauce
- 2 tsp Mustard
- 3 Anchovy Fillets Or two teaspoons of anchovy paste
- ¼ Cup Parsley Leaves Finely diced
- 1/2 of the lemon zest reserved from the caper sauce
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prepare Your Ingredients:
- Prepare all your ingredients and have them ready to go. Saute the finely diced onions for 5 minutes until translucent, and allow to cool. If you’re making the poaching stock, it should be made first and allowed to simmer gently to extract the flavors as you make the Königsberger Klopse meatballs. If using your premade bone broth/stock, get it ready to go on the stovetop, and be mindful of the time it takes to reach a boil.
Make The Meatballs:
- Mix all of the ingredients except for the ground meat together in a large bowl and knead vigorously.
- Add the meat to the mixture and continue to knead well until thoroughly combined. Because these German meatballs will be poached, you can mix them harder than you would with other varieties.
- Moisten your hands with cool water and form the meatballs into firm falls. They should be about 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter.
- Make sure your poaching liquid is simmering, and bring it up to a boil as the meatballs will lower the temperature of the liquid as they are dropped into it. A wide, shallow pot is best for poaching.
- Drop your meatballs in using a slotted spoon, and do not let them rest on the bottom of the pot, or they may break and fall apart. Do not let the liquid boil; it should be simmering gently. They will simmer for 10 minutes.
- Gently remove them from the liquid and set aside covered in foil as you prepare the sauce. Reserve the liquid for the sauce.
Prepare The Lemon-Caper Sauce:
- Add the egg yolks and sour cream into a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a heavy skillet or medium saucepan and stir in the flour once the foam has subsided. Whisk until the flour is no longer raw but not deeply browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of the poaching liquid/bone broth and bring this mixture to a boil. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes very smooth and creamy and then reduce the heat to low.
- Add the lemon juice and capers and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and ensuring there is no burning.
- Now temper the beaten egg yolks and sour cream: slowly add spoonfuls of the hot sauce to the yolk-sour-cream mixture, stirring constantly with a fork so they don’t break. About 1/2 cup of the hot sauce should be added to the mixture like this before the entire mixture can be poured back into the cooking sauce.
- Turn off heat and continue to mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Finish The Meatballs & Serve:
- Add the cooked meatballs into this sauce and simmer them, basting the top with sauce occasionally until they are hot and ready.
- Add the cooked saucy meatballs onto individual plates or a platter for serving. Serve with extra sauce poured on top and fresh parsley. Cracked black pepper is also nice as a finishing touch.
