Deba means “short fat tooth” in Japanese, and that’s the shape of this knife. It’s the first knife a sushi chef would use when preparing fish. It is used to fillet fish and take shellfish apart. Used properly, this ultra-sharp knife can do the heavy work: cutting heads off fish and even some poultry. Once you get the hang of using a deba for fish, you will probably never go back to your old flexible filleting knife.

These knives, and a considerable amount of skill on the chef’s part, are the reason sushi looks so good and why the fish is cleaned so perfectly. Done properly, the bones will be in one pile with almost no meat on them and the meat will be completely bone free, perfect fillets. Don’t let the shape and weight of a deba fool you; they are nimble and precise. Choose your deba’s length based on the fish size you’ll be butchering most often.

The Tojiro Molybdenum Vanadium is Tojiros entry level traditional Japanese style knives and comes in a deba or a yanagiba and has specifically been deigned for busy kitchens as the handle is food safe and made with resin to keep bacteria to a minimum which compared to traditional wood is much safer. Instead of carbon steel, Molybdenum Vanadium stainless steel is adopted for this blade, so that it can be maintained easier and has good wear and rust resistance. The octagonal elastomer handle comfortably fits in your hand, it won’t corrode and is very hygienic.