The fish was left in salt for five or six days. It was then washed in large troughs of seawater. Each fish was taken out of the trough and cleaned with a wool cloth. It was then laid on the stage floor to drain.
After a day or two, the fish was laid out to dry on a wooden structure called a flake. The fish required a free flow of air for about six weeks to dry. A single drop of rain could spoil the lot. Fish could also be laid out on boughs or a beach. Using the beach was a bit more risky. The fish could burn if the rocks on the beach became too hot from the sun.