F. Dick 6-inch Fishbone Pliers

Larger pin bones in salmon, steelhead and cod can be stubborn, and these F. Dick fishbone pliers give more leverage than tweezers to pull them. The squeeze of a pliers grip also tires the hand less over a full side of fish.

Broad jaws meet across their full width, so they take a firm hold on a bone and draw it out whole. Pull each bone in the direction it points, toward the head, and the fillet keeps its shape for portioning or curing. The length lets the hand stay clear of the fish while the jaws work close to the surface.

Rinse the jaws between bones to keep them gripping cleanly, and keep the pliers beside the cutting board while portioning.

For lighter work and plating, the F. Dick 5-inch fish bone tweezers are more nimble. Prepare the fish with the F. Dick fish scaler and a fillet knife such as the ProDynamic 8.5-inch fillet knife.