Deba vs. other boning knifes for fish

Hello,

I'm looking to buy either a deba or honesuki to complete my ss takeda knife set. Although I have read that the deba is a little more versatile because you can bone fish and poultry, my heart is still set on the honesuki. I think it is a nice compromise because the spine on it is thick like a deba and even has a little belly (more than most honesukis anyways), yet has a smaller profile for getting into tight places.What limits does the honesuki have when it comes to boning fish? Which knife would you rather have in your kit?

fyi- i already have the ss takeda:

165mm nakiri
240mm yanagiba
90mm paring/small petty

Thank you all in adavance,

Mitch

The Takeda honesuki is a perfect tool for breaking down a chicken, but would be a disaster used on fish.

The Takeda deba is a double-bevel blade that should really be called a Western deba or yo-deba. It is a better choice for fish than the honesuki, but not the best choice, which would be a traditional single-bevel deba. Unfortunately, Takeda does not make a traditional single-bevel deba.

Actually, I would rather have one of Shosui's mioroshi debas in my kit rather than either of the knives you mention.

Rick

Thank you Rick for your input!

Thank you for steering me away from using a honesuki on fish. I would've hated to hack it up with the wrong knife. I know that single bevel knives are preferred for certain tasks, but I am left handed and my wife is right handed so the 50/50 grind of takeda knives is actually ideal for our situation seeing that we cook together a lot and will both be using the knives.

Thank you for your first suggestion, but if you HAD to buy a takeda (i have my knives on display and want to keep with the same knife maker) for breaking down fish, which would you buy?

Thanks,

Mitch

Also, what makes a knife good for fish? I usually buy fillets from my grocery store, but I am moving to San Francisco and would love to get into cooking with some of the amazing fresh fish they have there.

Oh I did not know Shosui made a mioroshi. Would you use it on poultry as well?

ps sorry for all the posts in succession lol

Your list is missing a gyuto? Prob the most useful knife in a kit. You can use one for portioning fish, though would not use for butchering one. Use on poultry but not to cut bones.

I believe Takeda does offer single bevel (or at least he used to), although they look very different to the "normal" kurouchi Takedas iirc, with a typical polished/kasumi finish. Drop him an e-mail, can't hurt.

Getting my deba and honesuki next week but they are from Watanabe,for the same raison like you;most of my knifes are made by him.:drool:

Good luck in your knives hunt!!

Depending on what is available in your area, you may also want to consider classes on how to use deba, usuba, yanagiba etc.

It brings tremendous joy selecting the right knives, learning how to maintain them and using them skillfully.

iamwatt said:

Oh I did not know Shosui made a mioroshi. Would you use it on poultry as well?

ps sorry for all the posts in succession lol

Click to expand...

Yes, I would (and have). It works very well.

Deba is not meant for poultry as honesuki is not meant for fish. I can bone a chicken out in under 18 seconds with a honesuki. I can't do that with a deba. Honesuki are light, nimble, easy to maneuver through the bird's anatomy. Deba is heavy, slow and clumsy on birds. The heavy blade is great for going through fish vertebrae with the heel though. The wide bevel makes for a perfect surface to rest against the spine bones for separating the flesh with an extremely sharp edge.

+1 I concur.... Deba is a fish specialized knife, It all depends what you are using it for....

wow thank you all for your responses. Theory, that makes sense. Maybe i'll have to save up for both then.

Yes, yes you will.

Simply put,

Deba = fillet knife
Where westerners use the sole/fillet knife which basically look like a long flexible petty knife. Japan uses the deba and that's where many people fail to realize that it's not a cleaver for hacking away at bones.

For home use maybe I'd just get a petty to do break down fish.

Btw, Bernal Cutlery in SF offers a class on deba use.

iamwatt, go stop by Bernal Cutlery. They have lots of japanese knives and sometimes offer knife classes. I've been meaning to find out if they are still doing it. I heard they have instructions on Debas and such.

Still doing it, you can check their website. I did the vegetable knife skills class that Taka gives, but not the fish one yet. He's a good teacher and really nice guy.