SALMON CUTTING TECHNIQUE

— top view map of one fillet: angled thin slices for sashimi, blocks for searing, small cubes for poke, plus the flat-angle skin removal at the bottom. Keep the knife cold and cut in one pull.

Cutting salmon is all about direction, a sharp knife, and letting the fish do the work. Here's the breakdown from whole fish to perfect portions:

1. The setup

• Knife: Long, thin, very sharp - a fillet knife or yoi-bocho/sujihiki is ideal. A dull chef knife will tear it.

• Cold: Salmon should be semi-firm, almost icy. 15-20 mins in the freezer before cutting makes it 3x easier to get clean slices.

• Surface: Wet your board slightly so the skin grips.

2. If you have a whole side/fillet - 4 steps

A) Remove pin bonesRun your fingers from head to tail along the thick center line - you'll feel tiny white bones. Pull them out with fish tweezers or clean pliers, pulling in the direction they lean (towards the head), not straight up, or the flesh tears.

B) To skin or not?For pan-searing/crispy skin: leave skin on.For sashimi / cubes / poke: remove it.

To remove skin: Place fillet skin-down, tail towards you. At the tail end, make a small cut between skin and flesh to get a grip. Hold the skin with a paper towel, angle your knife almost flat (15 degrees), and push forward while holding skin back. Don't saw - one long stroke.

C) PortioningAlways cut against the visible white lines (the fat). That's the grain.

• For pan-seared / oven: Cut into 150-180g rectangles, about 1.5 inch thick. Cut straight down, then clean up sides. Uniform thickness = even cooking.

• For steak cuts: If your fillet is very thick, cut crosswise into steaks with the belly flap trimmed off.

D) For sashimi / sushi / cubes (the technique most people mess up)

This is called hira-zukuri:

1. Trim off the thin belly and the dark brown bloodline - it's bitter.

2. Cut the fillet into 3-4 long blocks along the natural separations.

3. For sashimi: Slice against the grain at 45 degrees, one single pull of the knife - do NOT saw back and forth. Each slice ∼7-8mm thick. Pull the knife towards you from heel to tip.

4. For tartare/poke cubes: First slice into 1cm strips, then turn and cut into 1cm cubes. Keep them cold.

3. Common mistakes

• Sawing motion = ragged, mushy surface. One smooth stroke.

• Cutting with the white lines = slice falls apart. Always across them.

• Room temp fish = sticks and smears. Cold is clean.

• Leaving the brown fat on the skin side - if you want clean Japanese style, shave that thin brown layer off after skinning.

Quick guide - what cut for what?

• Skin on, 150g block: Best for crispy skin pan-sear

• Skin off, 2cm cube: Tom Yum salmon, ceviche, poke

• Long thin 5mm slice: Sashimi, or quick cure with salt/sugar for gravlax

• Thin tail piece: Chop it - perfect for fried rice or salmon stir-fry, it's too thin to sear evenly

If you tell me what you bought - whole fish from Khlong Toei, frozen fillet from Makro, or sashimi-grade block from Fuji supermarket - I'll give you the exact cut for that one.