Salmon is undoubtedly among the most delicious fishes. But that’s only after it’s rightly filleted and cooked. After a long day of fishing, filleting salmons can feel like a dreadful task. Since they are quite large in size, your usual kitchen knife might not be good enough.
However, with the best fillet knife for salmon, separating the meat from the bones won’t feel as vexing anymore. Instead, you’d be getting your salmons ready to be cooked in almost no time!
You’re at the right place if you can’t decide which knife you should go for as we’re going to provide all the essential information. With it, you’ll be able to pick your own!
How to Choose the Best Fillet Knife for Salmon?
It would be unwise to jump into the market and buy the first knife that you see. That’s because there are tons of poor quality products that only exist to make your life harder. You should take a step back, give some thoughts, compare some things, consider certain features before making the final purchase decision!
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Considering the following qualities will help you pick the best salmon fillet knife.
Size of the Blade
The size of the blade is extremely important because if it isn’t long enough, it will take longer and much more effort to debone the fishes. The cuts won’t still be perfect. You should go for blades that are 6 to 12 inches in size. Besides, longer blades offer more versatility and comfortability.
So, in this case, size does matter!
Quality of the Blade
For the best filleting experience, your knife must be highly durable, extremely sharp, and boast ideal edges. Blades forged with high-carbon stainless steel offer the best kind of durability. The tip must be strong and sharp enough to easily penetrate through the fish’s skins and meats.
Blades built with inferior quality materials will rust and break sooner than you expect. You’ll face a lot of difficulties cutting the fishes with such blades. So, pay extra attention to the quality of the blade.
Handle
The handle of the knife must be ergonomic and built with high-quality materials. You should make sure to purchase a knife that has cushy handles for comfortable cutting. There should be powerful grips so that it doesn’t slip off and cause accidents.
Most knife handles are made of wood, rubber, or plastic. Wood isn’t as popular anymore as it stores smelly bacteria, feels slippery, and easily gets burned.
Rubber and plastic are better options as they’re easier to clean and offer more versatility. They feel tight on the palm, so they aren’t likely to slip off. Look for the most comfortable handle design so that you can do hours of slicing-and-dicing without any trouble.
Flexibility
The thickness of the blade determines how flexible the blade is going to be. Thicker and longer blades are less flexible and versatile compared to their smaller and thinner counterparts. Large fishes like salmons require relatively thicker and longer blades.
| Brand | Image | Features | Price |
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| Kershaw | |
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| Rapala |  |
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| Rada |  |
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| Bubba |  |
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| Henckels | |
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| Rapala | |
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| Rockland |  |
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| Dexter |  |
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| Dexter |  |
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| Kershaw |  |
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10 Best Fillet Knife for Salmon Review
We’ve carefully scoured the market and picked the 10 top fillet knives for salmon. You’ll find everything you need to know about them, including their pros and cons. So, read on!
Kershaw Clearwater 9-In Fillet Knife For Salmon
The Kershaw Clearwater 9-In fillet knife boasts an impressive design, looks daring, and allows you to slice through salmons like butter! It will make the messy job of filleting medium to large salmon fishes a breezy task.
This model is built with Japanese 420J2 stainless steel for unmatched durability and sports a curved design for detailed action. It can easily resist rusts and corrosion, so you can expect a longer life from it. For safe storage, this thing comes in an ABS sheath with a belt holster.
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Although it’s superbly sturdy, the blade steel is made to be soft to increase its flexibility. So, this knife will bend under pressure instead of breaking so that you can slice through the skins of the fishes effortlessly.
And the handle comes with a soft texture so that you find it super comfortable to hold. Co-polymer rubber grip ensures a stronger hold and prevents any kind of slip-offs. You will find neon green accents on the handle that make this one easier to identify in marine environments.
Moreover, this unit easily fits your hand, holds securely without causing any discomfort, and allows you to debone salmons with ease.
Pros
Cons
Rapala4 Soft Grip Salmon Fillet Knife
The Rapala4 Soft Grip fillet knife comes with the top-notch qualities that allow you to make super smooth cuts every time. Thanks to the affordable price, you’d have amazing salmon filleting power without spending a fortune!
Built with the famous Rapala stainless steel that is highly flexible, this thing slices through salmon without any problem. You won’t have to be worried about the blade breaking as it is strong enough and capable of resisting dangerous rust buildup with ease.
As the blade is excellently sharp, slicing and dicing would take almost no effort.
And the best thing about this one is its exceptionally soft-grip molded and textured handle. This makes it feel incredibly comfy in your hand in addition to giving you outstanding control. As a result, you’ll be able to do your filleting with extreme precision.
For your convenience, Rapala ships this unit in a sturdy black sheath that is designed to easily fit your belt so that you can take it with you wherever you go. They even provide you with a single-stage sharpener, allowing you to sharpen it whenever you want to keep its performance up to the mark!
Pros
Cons
Rada Salmon Cutlery Fillet Knife
The Rada Cutlery fillet knife looks quite stunning to the eye and offers amazing slicing ability, making it a favorite among the anglers and casual fishing enthusiasts. Take it out with you to your fishing trips, and you’ll always be prepared to fillet your salmons!
This model has about 12-1/4 inches of overall length with a blade that’s about 7-1/8 inches long. So, it’s long enough for handling the large size of salmons with ease.
With the highly flexible blade made with T420 high-carbon stainless steel, it will glide through salmons and separate the meat from the bones with excellent precision. There won’t be any case of breaking or rusting at all! This hand-sharpened blade is sharp enough to handle more than just salmons. If you wandering self-sharpening knife then click here.
Thanks to the super-soft rubber grip handle with an ergonomic design, this one settles in your hand quite firmly and comfortably. As a result, even if the handle gets wet, it still won’t slip-off, preventing dangerous accidents and giving you maximum control. You won’t get exhausted even after long hours of fish filleting!
For easy carrying and storing, it comes with a durable black leather scabbard. The manufacturer stands by the quality and offers an amazing warranty, which is a big plus!
Pros
Cons
Bubba 9 Inch Flex Salmon Slicer Knife
The Bubba 9 Inch Flex fillet knife is yet another amazing fillet knife designed for easy bone plucking and cutting the meat into pieces. It’s often regarded as a heavy-duty knife thanks to its superior sturdiness and outstandingly sharp blade.
You will find this model to be incredibly durable, stable. Additionally, it offers an amazing balance. This is all thanks to the fact that it’s built from a single piece of steel. The full tang design further enhances the durability of the blade while offering strong cutting power.
Boasting a Rockwell hardness rating of 56-58 and an astoundingly sharp and flexible blade, you can debone the salmons almost flawlessly. The slices will always be clean and smooth!
Aided by the use of thermoplastic polymer and synthetic rubber on the handle, it stays comfortably on your hand. Even when the handle gets wet, this thing won’t slide off at all!
For your safety, rust resistance, and effortless removal of the meat, the blade comes coated with Ti-Nitride. The tip is designed to be extra sharp so that you find it easy to penetrate the skin of the fishes and get cutting without any trouble! This top-grade steel knife features a 9-inch blade for easy cutting of the large salmon fishes.
Pros
Cons
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Fillet Knife For Salmon
This model is the work of superbly skilled craftsmen of J.A Henckels, a trustworthy manufacturer, making it a superior knife with unmatched qualities. This long, lightweight, and razor-sharp blade cleanly separates the meat from the bones of the toughest salmon!
It’s an incredibly durable piece of equipment that’s built with specially prepared steel. So, there won’t be any corrosion. You can feel free to work with it without worrying about breaking it.
Thanks to the combination of the company’s signature ice-hardening technique, the blade is much harder and sharper than the others. Furthermore, it doesn’t develop stains, chips, or cracks. This allows the knife to retain the sharpness for longer periods.
The blade of this thing is precisely hand-honed and boasts laser-controlled edges. As a result, the angle cuts won’t feel as difficult anymore. You’ll get sturdiness, stability, and balance from this one.
Featuring a high-impact polypropylene handle, you’ll find it quite comfortable to hold. The handle itself is very sturdy and pretty sanitary too. You can feel free to use it in a wet environment as it won’t develop rusts either. It will stay strong and allow you to fillet salmons for years to come!
Pros
Cons
Rapala NK03039-Salmon Fish Fillet Knife
The Rapala NK03039-BRK takes on a traditional appearance and offers super-easy operation. You’ll have excellent precision and flexibility right at your fingertips the moment you pick this one up! It strikes a nice balance between value and precision.
This model comes with a 7-inch versatile blade, making it ready for handling salmons and other large fishes with ease. Featuring a Swedish stainless-steel construction, the blade is perfectly sharp and quite balanced. It will hold the ultra-sharp edge for a while too.
Also Read: Rapala Fillet Knife Review
As a result, you’ll be able to remove the meat from the bones efficiently and chop them all up almost flawlessly! This knife is durable enough to resist rusts and corrosion. It won’t crack or break anytime soon!
And the beautiful handle is built with varnished birch wood that is bound to turn the heads a couple of times. It’s designed to be ergonomic, so you’ll be able to hold the knife with comfort and work with it without accidentally dropping it off.
With this unit comes a nicely made leather sheath for easy carrying and a single-stage sharpener to hold the razor-sharpness. All in all, this is a great product for every angler!
Pros
Cons
Rockland Guard Narrow Salmon Fillet Knife
The Rockland Guard Narrow fillet knife is perfect for both kitchen and outdoor fishing adventures. It comes equipped with top-notch qualities that make a fillet knife highly efficient. With this product, you’ll be dealing with a wide range of fishes, including salmon!
This fishing gear is constructed with a superbly durable, high-quality stainless steel blade that’s rock solid and razor-sharp. It’s about 8-inches for making it more convenient to handle larger fishes. You’ll be making smooth cuts easily with this knife.
Sporting a handle with an ergonomic design, this piece of equipment will be super easy and comfortable to hold. The grip of the handle is textured to make it a non-slip product. As a result, you’ll be free from worrying about it slipping off to hurt yourself or the others.
Boasting premium safety features and a protective sheath cover, you can safely carry it around with you wherever you go. It comes with a belt loop that enhances the safety level as it protects you from the blade as well as the spines of the fishes.
You can go ahead and pick this one up to help you prepare the fishes into delicious dishes! Thanks to the reasonable price design, it would barely affect your wallet.
Pros
Cons
Dexter Russell S133 Salmon Fish Fillet Knife
The Dexter-Russel Sani-Safe is a widely popular fillet knife, designed to make it easier to fillet salmons and other large fishes. With so many decent features, this is a piece of equipment that you can safely count on. Whether you need a knife for your kitchen or your fishing trips, this can be a great choice!
Starting off, this is a rugged product that boasts a super solid high-carbon DEXSTEEL steel blade. It’s ground and honed with the utmost care and capable of resisting stains, rusts, and corrosion. The super thin and flexible blade is perfect for any kind of filleting, as you’ll have maximum control and precision in your hand.
This one can even lie between the skin of the fish and the top layer of the meat, allowing you to make the cleanest cuts. Thanks to the innovatively engineered flex points, it can hold the sharp edges for a long time.
Featuring a polypropylene handle that can withstand both hot and cool temperatures, this unit won’t cause any discomfort to your palms as you work. Additionally, it’s textured and slip-resistant. You’ll find it super easy to clean as well. Thanks to the blade-to-handle seal, this one is a very sanitary gear!
Pros
Cons
Dexter Russel Sani Safe Fillet Knife For Salmon
We’ve got another Dexter-Russel product that you can completely rely on. The Sani-Safe S133-9-PCP is another one of their amazing innovations. From this quality knife, you will get impressive durability and the manufacturer’s remarkable edge holding ability in addition to the superior performance!
This model comes with the company’s world-famous white Sani-Safe handle that gives the ultimate control to your hand when you’re filleting salmons. It’s super easy to hold in comfortable that won’t slip off even in wet environments. This elegant looking handle allows you to work without any interruption.
The high-carbon, high-alloy DEXTEEL steel blade is well-known for its incredible sharpness, flexibility. It’s super narrow so that you can make the cleanest possible cuts with ease. You’ll be surprised by its edge-holding ability. You won’t have to re-sharpen this unit all too often, making it a super convenient product!
With the right amount of flex that you’d get from this one, you’ll be getting along the ribs without any problem. The 9-inch blade is perfect for handling a wide range of fishes. Get this quality knife to prevent the wastage of protein and prepare the salmons the way they are meant to be prepared!
Pros
Cons
Kershaw Curved Salmon Slicer Knife
The Kershaw 12-in curved fillet knife is the perfect choice for those who want to fillet large and game fishes. Its superior quality, durability, and performance make it the best saltwater fish fillet knife that you can find in the market, especially if you frequently catch large fishes.
With a curved blade that boasts incredible sharpness, you’ll get to make amazingly precise cuts every single time. The blade is built with high-performance and durable stainless steel that can easily resist stains and rusts. You’ll get strength, flexibility, and performance in a single package!
Thanks to the satin finish, it looks quite stunning. The large 12-in blade can easily slice through to the end from the bottom without any problem. Making those clean cuts don’t feel as difficult with this one. This blade won’t spoil the flavors and taste of the fish in any way.
And the handle is extremely lightweight and durable as it is made with glass-filled nylon. It’s covered with a rubberized overmold along with a K-texture grip for making it slip-resistant. So, you’ll be able to hold the knife securely and comfortably!
It can be easily re-sharpened to keep the sharpness in check all the time. Thanks to the blade protector, you can store it safely when you’re done slicing!
Pros
Cons
Why You Need a Special Knife for Salmon?
Anyone who is familiar with cooking fish or loves cooking, in general, understands the importance of having a fillet knife in the kitchen. In fact, your kitchen won’t be complete without one.
Now, cutting a special fish like salmon requires a specially designed knife. Your ordinary knives won’t be able to debone salmon as precisely and perfectly as you want. That’s because salmon is larger in size.
So, naturally, you’d require a knife that is longer in length. Shorter knives would make the task of filleting harder. They should be made with premium quality materials and have extreme sharpness. The handles must provide excellent grips. And the blades have to be exceptionally flexible.
Only then you’ll be able to fillet salmons just the way you want them. Filleting is a troublesome task that is made easier with the right tool. If you pick up your ordinary knife and attempt to debone salmons, you’d face a lot of trouble. You’ll be wasting your efforts and end up with too many flaws.
That’s precisely why you need a special knife for salmon. If you want to do the best preparation, go for the best fillet knife that you can find on the market. Our reviews will help you find out!
How to Fillet a Salmon Fish
You can follow our specific instructions to perfectly fillet a salmon like a professional. After filleting a couple of times, you’ll get the hang of it and slicing up the fishes like anybody else! So, here are the instructions!
Removing the Rear End Fins
First, make a tiny cut behind the rear fins carefully and then gently drag the knife towards the fins. This will allow you to remove the fins without inflicting any damage on the fish.
Removing the Salmon Roe
Now, put the salmon fish on its back then cautiously place your knife in the back hole. Afterward, swiftly drag it across all the way up to its mouth. Go ahead and open up. You’ll see the salmon roe. Proceed to pull the roe out. You can now move on to removing the gut of the fish.
Slicing the Fish
This is the most important part where you slice the fillet out of the salmon fish. Pick up your sharp fillet knife once again and place it in front of the fin that’s located at the very front. Now, move on to slicing up the fish until you reach the spine. Afterward, hold the knife in a horizontal position then drag it toward the tail.
Apply the same procedure on the other side of the fish. All done? Great, you’re now left with a nicely cleaned fish fillets.
Taking the Ribs out
Place your knife close to the fish’s ribs and carefully run it across the fillet’s edge. If you aren’t careful enough and use dull knives, the fish will get damaged.
That’s about it! Sounds easy enough? So, go right on to filleting salmons with the best salmon slicer knife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here we have the most commonly asked queries regarding the best fillet knives:
Q: What is a salmon knife used for?
A: Salmon knives are knives with specially designed blades and handles that are used to efficiently filleting and slicing salmons. They tend to be longer, narrower, and more flexible.
Q: What is the best fillet knife for salmon?
A: In our opinion, the “Zwilling J.A. Henckels Fillet Knife” is the best choice because of the outstanding durability, exceptional sharpness, and the overall quality.
Q: What is the best size for a salmon fillet knife?
A: As salmons are longer in size, the knives used to cut salmons must be long as well. They tend to be 6 to 12 inches in size, although you’ll find 7-9 inches to be more common. Longer is better for the bigger salmons.
Q: What is the best handle for a fillet knife?
A: Rubber and plastic handles are superior to wood handles. However, rubber is comparatively more flexible and provides a stronger hold. It’s also more slip-resistant. You can check Misen.co to know more about knife handles.
Q: What is the best steel for a fillet knife?
A: Stainless steel that’s high in carbon is the best steel for a fillet knife. That’s because it makes the knives significantly sturdier than other materials while allowing the blades to be incredibly sharp.
RELATED: Best Carbon Steel Knife
Q: How do I sharpen a fillet knife?
A: You must regularly sharpen your fillet knife in order to maintain its sharpness and to prevent rusts. There are multiple ways of sharpening a fillet knife. You can rely on the ancient method of rubbing the edges on a sharpener stone to sharpen your knives.
If you’re looking for a simplistic and easier solution, an electric sharpener can be a great option. You can also use Accusharp tool or a sharpening rod. The best fillet knife sharpener allows you to get your blade ready for slicing-and-dicing in no time!
Final Words
Without the best fillet knife for salmon, you run the risk of damaging the fish and spoiling the taste while wasting a lot of protein. That’s why it’s always a good idea to invest in a high-quality fillet knife. Our list should help you find the right product that perfectly matches your preferences and eases up your filleting tasks!
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