Each saltfish is graded by quality, including size, and packed according to customer specifications. Split saltfish is often dried further in the marketing countries and to a small extent also in Iceland. By-products Offcuts and trimmings are salted, rehydrated and eventually minced and blockfrozen. Some cod heads are split and salted and in some cases the fleshy cheeks are cut off and salted. In fillet production, most of the flesh remaining on the skeleton is scraped off and salted.
Discards are small and they are used for processing into fishmeal.
Herring production Herring is salted into large barrels. Icelandic salted herring is preferred on many markets and is a necessary part of many festive occasions. Markets Markets for saltfish products are in countries of southern Europe and America. Portugal and Spain are the chief markets for split saltfish, followed by Italy, Greece and France. Spain and Italy are the chief market for saltfish fillets.