【Reading】てびらき

【English Name】Hand filleting

Tebiraki is a preparation method of splitting open the flesh of small fish using only the fingers, without relying on a knife. It is especially useful for small fish with soft flesh—such as iwashi (sardine) and aji (horse mackerel)—whose shape tends to break apart when a blade is applied, and it is a technique deeply rooted in sushi and Japanese cuisine kitchens.

The procedure is straightforward: after removing the head and innards, slide the thumb along the backbone from the belly side to split the flesh to the left and right. Snap off the backbone at the base of the tail to finish. It is faster than three-piece filleting (sanmai-oroshi) and is reliable in kitchens that process dozens of fish at a time.

At sushi restaurants it is an indispensable step in preparing hikarimono (silver-skinned fish), a technique repeated daily as preparation for sardine nigiri and vinegar-curing. The same method tends to be chosen when opening up fish for tempura or frying as well.

There are three keys to mastery: working while the fish is very fresh, wetting the fingertips with water beforehand, and proceeding with even force distribution along the backbone. When freshness declines, the flesh softens too much and becomes hard to keep in shape, so dexterity greatly affects the finished result.