Deba Suggestions? or any fish knife for breaking down.

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jeremy_winn

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Hey all! I had a long post typed out, but I lost the draft or something so I will keep it short.


Basically, I am looking for a professional knife that I could use for breaking down all types of fish. Nothing more than 225. I will attempt to sharpen it at home as well so any tips for decent new stones are welcome as well. I prefer Japanese handles, but it is not a requirement. Thanks everyone!
 
I do a pretty decent amount of fish prep, and spent about a year doing it for about 8 hours a day. Theory's recommendation is solid, but could be a little too small for larger fish. What species and weight will you be messing with? I really like the Uraku single bevels. If I needed to replace my kit tomorrow I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a yanagiba and a deba while I searched for something that fit as well as what I have now.
 
Sukenari w#2 hongasumi might fit the bill.. Koki has a really good price, but no saya.
 
Depending on your budget, Japanwoodworker has a number of shigefusa debas both in kitaeji (best!) and kasumi. Might as well start the addiction off with the best.
 
wow jww has kazuyuki tanaka r2 ironwood ON CLOSEOUT?!?! somebody's having a merry xmas and it ain't me :(
 
I'm hoping to use it for all types of fish including mackerel and salmon or really anything. thanks for the fast replies as well. Really excited to get something soon.
 
The size is really important. I use a 210mm deba, but I break down fish from about 2#-120#. This size of deba works great for about 4#-80# fish and can be made to work for the 2-4# range by just using the tip, and for the 80-120# by finessing it a little. Less than two pound mackerel I would want to use a 165mm deba ideally, or failing that a 180 or 195mm deba. If your size range goes that low, but tops out at 40-60# then the 180-195mm size will be perfect for you as a one size fits all. If it goes bigger get the 210 and a 150-165.

Even if it costs a little more than some others, everyone's first single bevel should be an uraku. The quality for price is pretty unmatched.
 
Last question before this thread gets retired, do you guys think that a Deba is the right choice? All I have in my kit is a decent chef knife, petty, should I go for something else first?
 
If you're building the kit one knife at a time (smarter than me) AND you spend a decent amount of time with fish the a Deba would be a good addition. If you do a lot of protein slicing, meat or fish, then maybe a sugi would be a more versatile choice.
 
That's a good question. Out of your work week how much time do you spend on fish? I work in a really fish centered restaurant, but the last place I worked had two fish dishes on the menu, we broke three pigs a week. Scary aside, I had a drink with the butcher over there on Monday, they are up to five. There I used a breaking knife twice a week, now I use a deba 3-4 times a week.

What task is your chef's/petty combo inhibiting rather than facilitating?
 
The size is really important. I use a 210mm deba, but I break down fish from about 2#-120#. This size of deba works great for about 4#-80# fish and can be made to work for the 2-4# range by just using the tip, and for the 80-120# by finessing it a little. Less than two pound mackerel I would want to use a 165mm deba ideally, or failing that a 180 or 195mm deba. If your size range goes that low, but tops out at 40-60# then the 180-195mm size will be perfect for you as a one size fits all. If it goes bigger get the 210 and a 150-165.

Even if it costs a little more than some others, everyone's first single bevel should be an uraku. The quality for price is pretty unmatched.

Excuse my ignorance, but what do the #s refer to?
 
Pounds, American shorthand, recently hijacked as the "hashtag"
 
Pounds, American shorthand, recently hijacked as the "hashtag"

Thought so, but got confused by "finessing" the larger (80#-120#) fish.

I kind of imagined 'finessing' would be using a too-big knife on a too-small fish. Now I think about it, I can see how it would work the other way round as well.

:)

Thanks for the clarification.
 
I think maybe the deba would be a poor move currently since I won't be doing a ton of fish breakdowns right away. I have a carter muteki petty knife, and i thought the bones would be bad for the edge so I stay away from using that on any poultry or fish. And the chef knife I have is an older one, Yamashin brand i believe. Do you all think maybe a newer nice chef knife is the better addition? Like something out of this? http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/gyuto/100-250 I dunno. I feel like I am still such a rookie in this field. Thanks to everyone who has been helping me in this thread.
 
If you aren't breaking fish, then a new gyuto would be the ticket. Maybe fill out the questionnaire as there about five times as many gyutos out there as debas and that will make it easier for us to narrow it down for you.
 
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