History

Koenigsberger Klopse originated in 18th-century Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad) as a refined version of the German Klops meatball, distinguished by chopped anchovy in the mince and capers in the white sauce. When East Prussia was lost to the Soviet Union in 1945, Koenigsberg refugees brought the dish to West Berlin and West Germany. By the 1960s, Klopse had become a Berlin tavern standard. In the GDR, the dish appeared on HO-Gaststaetten menus under the politically scrubbed name Kochkloesse. After 1990, the original name returned. Max und Moritz on Oranienstrasse has cooked the dish unchanged since 1902; the boiled-potato side is non-negotiable.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Fish (anchovy)

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g minced veal (or veal and pork mix)
  • 1 stale bread roll, soaked in 100ml milk and squeezed
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped, sweated in butter and cooled
  • 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper
  • For the broth: 1L veal or chicken stock, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 1 strip lemon peel
  • For the sauce: 40g unsalted butter, 40g plain flour, 500ml of the cooking broth, 100ml double cream, 3 tablespoons small capers in brine (drained), juice of half a lemon, 1 egg yolk

Method

  1. Combine veal, bread, onion, anchovy, egg, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix gently and shape into 16 walnut-size balls.
  2. Bring the stock to a bare simmer with the bay, peppercorns and lemon peel. Lower the Klopse in carefully, poach 15 minutes until cooked through. Lift out with a slotted spoon, keep warm.
  3. Strain the broth, reserve 500ml.
  4. For the sauce, melt the butter, whisk in the flour, cook 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the warm broth a third at a time until smooth.
  5. Return to a low heat, simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and capers. Adjust with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  6. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk to enrich the sauce. Return the Klopse, warm through (do not boil after the yolk), serve with boiled potatoes.

Tip from the editors. Do not boil the sauce after adding the egg yolk; it will split. Keep it at a bare simmer to thicken.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat koenigsberger klopse

Koenigsberger Klopse in Berlin

Max und Moritz ★ 4.3

Berlin tavern€€kreuzberg

Max und Moritz on Berlin's Oranienstrasse has cooked Prussian tavern classics since 1902 in the original ceramic-tiled dining room; the Klopse and rouladen anchor the menu.

Signature: Koenigsberger Klopse, Beef rouladen

Order: The Koenigsberger Klopse with caper-cream sauce; the beef rouladen with red cabbage in winter.

Tip: Closed Monday lunch. The original 1902 dining room is the seating to book; phone two weeks out.

Oranienstrasse 162, 10969 Berlin

Lutter und Wegner ★ 4.2

Berlin brasserie€€€mitte

Lutter und Wegner on Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt has cooked traditional Wiener Schnitzel since 1811; the wood-panelled room runs Sunday classics and the long lunch.

Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerbraten

Order: The Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber-potato salad; the Berlin sauerbraten in winter.

Tip: Sunday lunch from 12:00 is the easier seating than weekday dinner. Book two weeks ahead by phone.

Charlottenstrasse 56, 10117 Berlin

Henne ★ 4.4

kreuzbergUntil 23:00, kitchen closes 22:00

Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus in Kreuzberg runs its single dish, a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye bread, through the evening. The 1907 room is the most atmospheric late dinner in Berlin.

Try: Half a milk-fed roast chicken with kraut salad

Leuschnerdamm 25, 10999 Berlin

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