Buying guide fish knives: which fish knife do I need?
Cutting and preparing fish might take some getting used to, but owning the right knife is the first step! And we all know: well begun is half done. When filleting raw fish we recommend a filleting knife or deba and when cutting cooked fish use a yanagiba or salmon knife. And even when opening oysters a standard table knife will not be the wisest choice.
Filleting knife: to cut wafer-thin slices of raw fish
Filleting knives are meant to remove the skin of the fish and to remove the meat from the bones. The extra narrow blade enables you to cut close to the skin or alongside the bones. You can easily cut thin slices of fish with the thin and very sharp tip.
Oyster knife: for the real oyster enthusiast
Opening oysters with a normal kitchen knife is not only dangerous, chances are you damage the oyster meat or that parts of the shell end up in the oyster. An oyster knife is enhanced with a short, thick blade with a sharpened tip and the blade is strong enough to open oysters.
Salmon knives: to cut thin slices of salmon
You use a salmon knife to cut thin, even slices of, yes, salmon. The very flexible blade is approximately 30 cm long and extra narrow. The tip is rounded to make sure you don't damage the salmon. You can, of course, also use this knife for raw ham or carpaccio.
Deba knife: to fillet fish (bones and vertebrae) and shellfish
The deba knife looks like a pointed carving knife, but with a Japanese look and feel. Designed to fillet fish and shellfish. To be able to withstand breakage, the blade is somewhat thicker than the blade of a carving knife. The blade is a little too high to easily remove the skin from a fish. You need a filleting knife for this.
Yanagiba: for sushi enthusiasts
A Yanagiba is enhanced with a long blade with which you can cut through a piece of fish in one go. As such you prevent using a sawing movement and end up with the best results. Amazing when cutting through maki rolls or when cutting sashimi for on nigiri. This is a real must-have for sushi enthusiasts.
