How Do You Remove Fish Bones With Tweezers?

To remove pin bones from a fish fillet, lay the fillet skin-side down, feel for the bone tips with your fingertips, grip each one firmly with clean fish tweezers, and pull in the direction the bone is pointing. Work along the line of bones, then check the fillet again before cooking.

What are pin bones?

Pin bones are the fine bones that can remain in a fillet after the main skeleton and ribs have been removed. They can be difficult to see, so cooks often find them by touch.

How do you remove fish bones with tweezers?

1. Place the fillet skin-side down. Set it on a stable work surface with the flesh facing up.
2. Find the pin bones. Run clean fingertips gently over the thick part of the fillet until you feel the small tips.
3. Expose the tip if needed. Press the flesh beside the bone gently so there is enough of the end to grip.
4. Grip the bone firmly. Use fish-bone or chef’s tweezers and take hold of the exposed end.
5. Pull in the direction the bone points. Use a steady motion rather than jerking straight upward.
6. Repeat and check again. Work along the fillet, then run your fingertips over it once more to find any bones you missed.

Why should you pull in the direction of the bone?

Pin bones sit at an angle in the flesh. Pulling along that angle helps the bone slide out with less disruption to the surrounding flesh. Culinary guides from Sitka Seafood Market and The Kitchn both recommend following the natural direction of the bone rather than simply pulling straight up.

What kind of tweezers should you use?

A clean, rigid pair of kitchen tweezers that can grip a slippery bone securely is ideal. The SUWADA Japanese Chef’s Tweezers are a compact 105 mm stainless-steel tool designed for fish-bone removal and other detailed preparation.

They are hand-finished in Japan, weigh 40 g and are dishwasher safe according to the product specifications.

Can ordinary kitchen tongs remove fish bones?

Broad kitchen tongs are usually too large for this job. Fish bones are small and slippery, so a narrow gripping tool works better. Longer tools such as Saibashi are useful for cooking and plating, but compact tweezers give better close-up access for deboning.

For a direct comparison, see Chef’s Tweezers vs Tongs: What’s the Difference?.

Do you need to remove every fish bone?

If you are preparing a fillet for serving, check it carefully and remove any pin bones you can find before cooking. Even fillets sold as deboned can occasionally contain a missed pin bone, so a quick fingertip check is useful.

Read more about the tool itself in What Are Chef’s Tweezers Used For?, or browse our Japanese tongs, tweezers and scissors.

Sources

• Sitka Seafood Market – How to Remove Pin Bones from Salmon
• The Kitchn – How to Remove Pin Bones from Fish Fillets
• SUWADA Japanese Chef’s Tweezers – product information