How to Fillet a Gurnard for Sashimi | Japanese Knife Skills

Watch a Japanese chef turn a whole Gurnard (Houbou) into sashimi, from scaling and gutting to filleting, removing the bones, skinning, thin sashimi slicing, and final plating. In this video, I demonstrate the complete process of preparing a whole Gurnard for sashimi using traditional Japanese knife skills. 【How to Fillet a Gurnard】 First, I remove the scales, head, and internal organs, then thoroughly clean the fish. Next, I use a Japanese deba knife to fillet the fish, separating it into two fillets and the backbone. The key is to use as few knife strokes as possible to minimize damage to the delicate flesh. 【Removing Bones and Skinning】 After filleting, I carefully slice away the rib bones along with a thin layer of flesh. I then remove the pin bones one by one, checking by sight and touch to make sure none remain. Next, I use a yanagiba sashimi knife to remove the skin while keeping the flesh intact. 【Sashimi Slicing and Plating】 The Gurnard is prepared as usuzukuri, a traditional Japanese style of thinly sliced sashimi. When slicing sashimi, I use one smooth pulling stroke rather than moving the knife back and forth like a saw. I also rotate the plate while arranging the slices, keeping each movement consistent for efficient and precise plating. The removed skin is briefly blanched in hot water and served alongside the sashimi. This video is for anyone interested in Japanese fish filleting techniques, sashimi preparation, and traditional Japanese knife skills. 【Chapters】 0:00 Removing the Scales 0:54 Removing Fine Scales with a Knife 1:46 Removing the Head and Organs 2:16 Cleaning the Fish 2:51 Filleting the Fish 3:52 Removing the Rib Bones 4:21 Removing the Pin Bones 5:34 Skinning 6:11 Sashimi Slicing (Usuzukuri) 8:28 Preparing the Skin #Gurnard #FishFilleting #Sashimi #JapaneseKnifeSkills #JapaneseCooking