Fish Knife Vs Butter Knife: What's The Difference?

In the kitchen, there's a proper tool for every job — which is why fish knives and butter knives are different things. These types of knives may appear pretty similar, but they perform unique functions suited for specialized jobs. Unlike chef's knives, both pieces of flatware are actively used at the dining table rather than in the kitchen to prepare a meal behind the scenes. Also, on the note of tableside aesthetics, attention to detail with specialized flatware can help establish an air of high-quality service when dining out at a fancy seafood restaurant, or setting up an impressive dinner party. But, that doesn't mean a fish knife (or a good butter knife) isn't also a practical addition to your home flatware repertoire.

The most obvious difference between these tools is that fish knives have a pointed tip, while butter knives have a rounded tip. Their chief difference is all about functionality: Fish knives are designed for cutting and serving, while butter knives are designed for spreading. The fish knife's distinctive shape features a wide, flat, spatula blade outfitted with a fine point at the end, making fish-centric dishes easier to eat. That pointed tip can help break apart fish fillets into bite-sized chunks without totally mangling them or accidentally hacking them apart. By contrast, butter knives aren't designed for breaking anything apart at all. Their blunt, rounded edges are for spreading soft foods, not cutting or slicing.

Not to be confused with the fish spatula (a favorite kitchen tool of celebrity foodie Ted Allen), fish knives are blunt with a slightly pointed edge, designed for cleanly slicing and eating fish fillets. That understated point helps minimize tears, gracefully navigating the tender flesh and delicate bones of a fish fillet with efficiency and poise. The lean, long shape facilitates precision, which can be particularly useful when chowing down on a whole fish and freeing the meat from the bones.

Its ergonomic, easily maneuverable handle means the fish knife can also raise individual bites of fish to the mouth with the ease of a utensil, and its point isn't sharp enough to risk injuring the lips. Some fish knife models also come with a small fork included for added ease at the dining table, like this stainless steel eight-piece set by Idomy, which runs for $15.55 on Amazon. Feel free to practice your filleting skills before inviting dinner party guests over and putting the set to use.

Fish knives first found their place on the Victorian-era dining tables of the 1800s. The gastronomic period was characterized by an explosion in fine dining and meals with multiple structured courses, especially among upper class English, French, and Dutch foodies. The fish knife was an innovation inspired by utility, as during this period, fish functioned as a staple protein and was commonly served whole. 

Rounded, ultra-safe butter knives are designed for evenly distributing butter across bread. Despite the "butter" in their name, these swipers work with countless other spreads like cream cheese, jelly, pesto, apple butter, spreadable cheeses like brie, or homemade herb-dotted compound butters. The tool is characterized by its totally blunt edge, but some butter knives, like this one by the Simple Spreading Store, $11.79 on Amazon, feature a slightly serrated edge for curling the butter into textured ripples with every swipe. Those curls make for impressive tableside flair, especially when splurging on a pricier brick of rich European butter (Rodolphe Le Meunier is our favorite brand, for the record).

Despite the fancy-feeling specialization, butter knives tend to be made from more humble materials compared to fish knives. While fish knives are typically made from stainless steel or sterling silver, often with silver plating and mirror finishes, butter knives are typically made from either nickel silver or stainless steel, like this duo by AISBUGUR Store with white porcelain handles ($7.99 via Amazon).

Before it became the culinary staple it is today, butter was historically long-considered a luxury item, and didn't become widely available until the 1700s. Pre-18th century, homemade butter was stored in large lidded crocks and spread using the back of a wooden spoon. When electroplating was invented in the 1860s, specialized metallic cutlery like the fish knife and butter knife became more affordable and subsequently more widely available to home cooks of all classes.