4 Best Fish Fillet Knives, Tested and Reviewed
These knives will help you fillet a whole fish and remove the skin like a pro.
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If you generally purchase (or catch!) whole fish or prefer skinless fish fillets, you should add a fish fillet knife to your kitchen. It can be used to dress a whole fish — a.k.a. remove the guts, head, tail and fins — as well as to remove the fillets and skin them, if desired.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we test a wide range of knives, including chef's knives, Japanese knives, bread knives, butcher knives and more. When we test, we focus on tasks that mimic how someone would use their knives at home — while making sure we can evaluate performance, comfort and cleanability. To test fish fillet knives, we filleted a whole fish and removed the skin from a piece of salmon. We also sliced tomatoes, as we do in all of our knife tests, to assess the blades' sharpness and ability to achieve thin, consistent cuts.
Pros
- Performed well in Lab tests
- Comes with leather carrying sheath
Cons
- Handle is not textured so could become slippery when wet
Cangshan knives have a sleek aesthetic, and they're proving to be top performers in our tests. The brand's 6-Piece Tai Knife Set won a Kitchen Gear Award for being super sharp, and its steak knives are our top pick as well.
This flexible fish fillet knife scored high marks across the board in our Lab tests. It sliced tomatoes effortlessly, and the 7-inch blade allowed us to neatly remove the skin from a wide salmon fillet. Our tester noted that it did a particularly good job removing the fins from a whole black sea bass, a task that some knives struggle with. It also removed the fillets from the fish with clean strokes.
The handle is squared off, which keeps it from rotating in your hand, but it's not textured so it could become slippery when wet. It's great around the kitchen, and we appreciate that it comes with a leather sheath that can be attached to a belt or bag should you want to use it outdoors.
| Blade length | 7 inches |
| Blade material | Swedish steel |
Pros
- Comfortable textured grip
- Affordable
Cons
- Takes a little extra effort to remove head and fins from fish
We like the contoured handle on this pick because it's textured to be slip-resistant. It has a large bolster that keeps your hand safe, which makes it a good choice for beginners as well as pros handling larger fish. We've also recommended Dexter-Russell's butcher knife because of the brand's secure grip.
Though the knife required a little extra effort to remove the fins and head from a whole fish, it did a nice job filleting. And it enabled thin, consistent slices on a tomato. It's a solid choice for its affordable price point.
| Blade length | 7 inches |
| Blade material | High-carbon steel |
Pros
- Curved blade allows smooth, clean strokes
- Cleanly removed fillets from fish
Cons
- Not as well suited for larger fish or fillets
Japanese knives are known to have thin, sharp blades and Shun knives are among our favorite of this style. Our tester described this fish fillet knife as nimble and capable of producing "surgically thin" tomato slices.
The curved design of this blade made it easy to slice through the flesh with long strokes, and it yielded neatly portioned fillets. It also severed the tail from the whole fish cleanly and made it easy to remove the skin on the salmon fillet. But note that the knife is rigid; some people prefer the versatility of a flexible blade, which lets you work with more types of fish.
We liked the knife's slightly triangular handle: The shape assists with holding it properly, but the material is smooth, which can be slippery. The 6-inch blade can limit the size of whole fish it can clean and fillets it can skin.
| Blade length | 6 inches |
| Blade material | Alloy steel |
Pros
- Electric and cordless
- Comes with four different blade options
Cons
- Some users may find the handle bulky
If you tend to catch or buy larger species of fish — like trout, bass or salmon — consider purchasing an electric knife. They can break down or portion big fish even more easily than a very sharp traditional knife. Electric knives typically feature reciprocating blades, or two serrated blades that move back and forth to cut through skin, bones and flesh.
Though we haven't tested this knife, we like that the blade is thinner than an electric knife for carving and slicing, because a thinner blade can be more delicate on a fish's flesh.
The oversized handle allows you to get a comfortable grip, though some may find the hefty handle a bit bulky. We appreciate that it's cordless, so you don't have to worry about being close to an outlet. It comes with a zippered storage case and an assortment of blades — a 7- and a 9-inch that are flexible and a 9- and 12-inch that are stiff — for even more versatility.
| Blade length | Comes with one 7-inch blade, two 9-inch blades and one 12-inch blade |
| Blade material | Tin stainless steel |
How we test fish fillet knives
To test fish fillet knives, we assess how comfortable they are to hold and to use for slicing and navigating over and around bones. We fillet a whole black bass and evaluate how well each knife can remove the head, tail and fins, as well as how neatly we can remove the fillets.
In addition to removing the fillets, we remove the skin from a salmon fillet, which is a common fish-prepping task. We also sliced tomatoes, as we do in our chef's knife and serrated knife tests, to assess the knife's sharpness. We then clean the knives and check for any rusting or wear.
What to look for when buying a fish fillet knife
✔️ Blade length: Blades for most fillet knives used by home cooks range from 5 to 9 inches. Smaller blades are better for smaller fish, and longer ones are better suited to bigger fish. Longer blades are better for cutting through fish in one smooth motion and for removing the skin from wide fillets, but shorter blades can offer more control for detailed work. We found 7-inch blades to be useful in the kitchen.
✔️ Flexibility: Fish fillet knives can be flexible or rigid. Flexible blades allow for delicate maneuvering: They help you skim along the spine and ribs when removing the fillets from the fish and can help maintain a level flatness when removing skin from a fillet. Rigid blades are good for cutting through skin and thin bones and can stand up to work on heartier fish.
✔️ Blade design: Some fillet knives are straight, but some are curved or have a pronounced taper. The curve helps make sweeping strokes so you can remove the fillets more cleanly. A tapered point also helps with the follow-through motion involved in removing filets and can help cut along or around certain bones.
✔️ Handle: Fish can be slippery, so it's important that your knife not be. Polished handles can be comfortable and are sometimes easier to clean, but they might offer less security when wet. We like textured plastic or rubberized handles with a flattened or contoured shape.
✔️ Indoor vs outdoor use: Most of the knives on our list are best suited for indoor (i.e. kitchen) use. If you're looking for an outdoor-friendly fish fillet knife, look for a more rugged design that has an oversized handle, slip-resistant grip and sturdy blade. We also recommend models that include a protective covering so you can store and transport the knife safely and extend the life of the blade.
✔️ Electric vs. non-electric: Electric knives can help make filleting a fish easier, especially if you're working with larger fish or fish with thicker skin. Their power — and sometimes a serrated design — makes them more forgiving on remaining sharp enough to be useful. However, they can be bulky to store if they come with multiple blades of different lengths. They also require access to an electrical outlet for use or for charging between uses. Non-electric are easy to store and can be used anywhere, but they need to be kept sharp.
What are fish fillet knives used for?
Fish fillet knives are used for breaking down fish, filleting fish and removing the skin from fish fillets. They have thin blades and may have a curved blade design, and they typically offer more flexibility than a chef's knife, which allows more precision when navigating around bones. Because fillet knives tend to be used less often than your chef's knife, they are likely to stay sharper longer, which helps when removing delicate fillets.
How do you sharpen fish fillet knives?
Most non-serrated knives can be sharpened using a whetstone or knife sharpener. If you don't think you'll be comfortable doing it yourself, it may be safer to take your knives to a professional knife sharpener. But if you do sharpen at home, be sure to consult the manufacturer about the recommended angle for the blade so you can match it. Western and Japanese knives generally have different angles on the blade.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Sarah Gregory is a deputy editor with the Good Housekeeping Institute. In addition to testing products, she writes and edits content for the Kitchen Appliances Lab. She's a trained cook and a former food editor and recipe developer. She developed the methodology for the fish fillet knife test and conducted the test.
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