Fish Flake - Fish Drying Process

Fish Drying Process

Prior to the widespread use of freezer technology the Newfoundland fishery was dependent on salt as a preservative and curing agent. This process was necessitated because it was unfeasible for vessels to take their catch back to Europe on every trip to the fishing grounds on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

Certainly to obtain the best price for the fish caught during the fishing season the quality of the fish was of prime importance and care was taken to ensure a profitable catch. When the fish was taken from the saltbulk it was then washed of excess salt and film that had formed during the curing process. The salted cod was then transported to the fish flakes by two men carrying a barrow. The fish was then spread out in a very neat and tidy order by placing them alternately heads and tails. These were first laid face-up, which is flesh side exposed to the sun. As the fish dried it was then flipped over to dry the back side of the salted cod. Before nightfall when the air became damp the fish was gathered up and placed in neat piles called faggots to minimize the exposed area of the fish. As the fish became dry enough for marketability it was then stored in the fish store until most if not all of the seasons harvest was dried in this fashion. The drying of fish may have taken up to week to completely dry. The whole process of drying the complete season catch may have taken a month or two as space and manpower permitted.