quenelle

American  

[kuh-nel] / kəˈnɛl /

noun

1. French Cooking. a dumpling of finely chopped fish or meat that is poached in water or stock and usually served with a sauce.

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quenelle British  

/ kəˈnɛl /

noun

1. a finely sieved mixture of cooked meat or fish, shaped into various forms and cooked in stock or fried as croquettes

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Etymology

Origin of quenelle

1835–45; < French < German Knödel dumpling

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quenelle

At Camden Harbour Inn, pastry chef Gwynthe Frenchette served me a tartlet of heirloom Gravenstein apples from nearby School House Farm, topped by a tidy quenelle of applewood-smoked almond ice cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

The quenelle, an ivory round of delicate custard formed from fish and cream, dares you not to take its photo.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2022

If you're up for cheese, there is queso fresco, which forms into a kind of fluffy quenelle in the hot broth, indistinguishable from tofu.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2015

Hugh Schofield charts the development of satirist Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, who inspired the controversial quenelle gesture.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2014

Have ready a frying-pan with boiling water in which is a saltspoonful of salt, lay each quenelle carefully in, and poach for ten minutes.

From Choice Cookery by Catherine Owen