The boning and filleting consist of removing pieces of meat from the bones that hold them together. Most boning knives have a narrow, pointed tip to work around the bones and a slightly stiff blade so you always know where the tip is. Fillet knives are usually slightly flexible to work with delicate fish. They have a narrow blade so that there is as little resistance as possible when cutting the fish. The size of your fillet knife should be proportional to the size of the fish you are working with. Small fish, such as panfish, small trout and small catfish, can be prepared with a 6 "knife, while large fish such as salmon, tuna and halibut will need a longer leaf.
Yanagiba, Japanese style, is a rigid fillet knife that is used mainly to cut boneless fillets into small pieces, but the chef also uses it to break down the whole fish. The thick, stiff blade is useful for cutting through the spines and ribs of small to medium sized fish. Please, check our Sushi / Sashimi knives section to see the Yanagibas.
