Boning Knife vs Fillet Knife: Key Differences and Use Cases

Not everyone has a limitless budget to purchase different knives for different functions. This article will address two key kitchen tasks, boning and filleting, both for fish and different cuts of meat and discuss the optimal kitchen knives to perform a variety of different tasks.

Boning is the act of separating meat from bone. An example of this would be to remove the breast meat from a whole chicken which results in larger pieces of boneless protein. From there, the piece of protein or meat can be cut into portioned pieces, which we’ll refer to as fillets.

What is a Boning Knife?

Traditionally, a western style boning knife is known for having a thin, flexible blade with a curved tip. The Japanese version of a boning knife is called a honesuki and is made to be different. The honesuki features a razor sharp, triangular shaped blade with a thicker spine that allows for precise cutting and maneuverability around bones and through soft joints. The blade length measures 6–7 inches long and is stiff with no flexibility.

A honesuki is hands down the best knife for deboning chicken.

Key Features of a Honesuki Boning Knife

Blade shape: Triangular

Flexibility: none

Material: various options including stainless steel, damascus and high-carbon steel

Size variations: There is not much variation in a honesuki. Most models are 5.7” to 5.9”. A larger version of this knife exists. It’s called a garasuki, which measures around 7” and in addition to being used as a honesuki can work like a meat cleaver or butcher knife.

Types of Boning Knives

There are different types of boning knives, each with their specific benefits. Two types that we’ll touch on are stiff versus flexible knife blades.

Stiff boning knives - High quality Japanese kitchen knives tend to be stiff with little to no flex and can have a bevel of 70/30, meaning the knife is sharpened more steeply on one side. Although some 50/50 beveled honesukis exist, it is more common to find them sharpened for right handed use.

Flexible boning knives - These thin bladed knives, differing from a honesuki are can be cost effective and affordable. They are usually double-sided and are deft at maneuvering around connective tissue.

When to Use a Boning Knife

The boning knife is not always the first choice of home cooks. Some might feel more comfortable using a combination of types of knives from their knife set, such as a chefs knife, santoku knife, utility knife or paring knives, but a boning knife is really the ideal option when it comes to trimming, deboning and butchering various types of meat.

Honesuki can be useful for light butchery when preparing fish and dealing with fish bones and can ensure precision when cutting around bones, skin, tendons, fat and through soft joints.

What is a Fillet Knife?

Although there is no one Japanese knife that is similar in form and function with a filet knife, the knife type that closely fills this function is a sujihiki. A sujihiki, or slicer is a knife with a long narrow blade, usually 240mm to 300mm in length. This design allows for smooth, precise slicing of meat and fish, preserving the integrity and presentation of the ingredients.

While the sujihiki excels at slicing tasks, it differs from traditional fillet knives. Fillet knives are specifically designed for removing bones and skin from fish, featuring a more flexible blade to navigate around bones and under the skin. In contrast, the sujihiki's blade is generally stiffer and optimized for making clean, straight slices through boneless proteins.

In summary, although the sujihiki is not a fillet knife, it serves as an excellent tool for slicing tasks, particularly when working with boneless meats and fish.

The Fillet Knife’s Key Features

The key features of a slicing knife, include:

Blade shape: Long and narrow

Flexibility: no flexibility

Material: available in a variety of stainless steel and high carbon steel options.

Precision handling

Best Uses for a Fillet Knife

The slicer is a perfect choice to use as a fish fillet knife. Opt for a slicer over a boning knife in the following situations:

To cut very thin slices where no large fish bones are present, such as for sashimi

Will easily remove skin fish

Key Differences Between These Two Knife Types

While these two knives perform essential tasks, there are specific differences that make them unique.

The honesuki has a wide spine that provides stability when cutting through dense material, soft joints and connective tissue. The slicer is thin and lightweight and not to be used on anything other than boneless material.  

There is a significant difference in typical lengths, the shorter honesuki is designed to easily maneuver around bones, whereas the slicer is made for perfectly handling one cutting motion - slicing.

How to Choose Between a Boning Knife and a Fillet Knife

When determining whether you need a boning knife, a fillet knife, or both. Keep the following points in mind:

Which primary ingredients do you work with regularly, and what cutting tasks will need to be performed.

Meat vs. fish: If mainly working with meat such as whole chickens, and bone in cuts of beef, go with a honesuki boning knife. If mainly cutting fish, go with a fillet knife.

Texture of ingredients: For tougher, denser meat with connective tissue and joints chose a boning knife. For slicing boneless cuts pick a slicer / fillet knife. 

Versatility: While a boning knife can be used for some fish tasks, it won’t perform as well as a dedicated fillet knife. And a fillet knife might handle thin slices of raw or cooked meat, it’s not ideal for tougher cuts.

Shop Authentic Japanese Boning and Fillet Knives at Chubo Knives

When adding new pieces to your knife set, two great options are a honesuki - boning knife and a sujihiki - slicing knife. Consider which tasks you perform often which will warrant a specialized knife. For butchering poultry and deboning large cuts of meat, a honesuki will make these tasks a joy to perform. For makign thin slices of raw or cooked fish or meat, go with a sujihiki slicer.

Checkout our collection of boning, fillet, and many other authentic Japanese knives at Chubo Knives.