Cuchillos para filetear

What is a fillet knife and what is it used for?

A fillet knife has a long, narrow and thin blade, made to lift the fillet off the bones and the skin. It is used mostly for fish: you free the fillet along the backbone, then separate it from the skin.

Unlike a chef knife, which has a wide, rigid blade for chopping, a fillet blade is narrow and flexes easily. That way it follows the shape of the fish and passes along the bones without having to cut through them, and very little meat is left on the bone.

How do you choose a fillet knife?

Before you choose, look at four things:

• The blade length, based on the size of the fish you prepare most often.
• The blade thickness. A thinner blade is generally more flexible and follows the shape of the fish and the line of the bones more easily. In the collection, blades are between 1.8 and 2.3 mm thick.
• The steel and the hardness. Hardness affects how long the edge lasts and how easily it can be sharpened.
• The handle, which has to sit securely in your hand even when it is wet.

What length of fillet knife should you choose?

• 15-15.5 cm (C28, C44, C45, C69, C72): for small and medium fish, such as trout, mackerel or sea bream.
• 17 cm (C16): for anyone who prepares fish of different sizes and wants a single blade.
• 20 cm (C10): for large fish, such as salmon or carp, where the fillet has to come off in a single pass.

If you mostly fillet small and medium fish at home, a 15 cm blade is a versatile choice that is easy to control.

Which steel should you choose for a fillet knife?

• Damascus steel (C16, C28, C44, C69, C72): 45 or 67 layers. The blades have a hardness of 60 HRC and give a resilient edge; the layers create the distinctive wavy pattern of the blade.
• San mai (C45): AUS10 steel core, 60 HRC. The construction combines a hard core with softer outer layers, balancing edge hardness and blade toughness.
• German steel 1.4116 (C10): a hardness of 57 HRC, lower than the other models in the collection. That makes it easy to sharpen at home, and it copes well with daily use.

Can you use a fillet knife for meat too?

Yes, for fine work: chicken breast, removing membranes and sinew from the muscle, or taking meat off the ribs. The blade shape is designed for fish, though, so on large cuts of meat the butcher knives work faster.

Bones are not cut with a thin fillet blade, because the edge can get damaged or chipped. For them, choose a cleaver.