[1] Fish prepared as daing are usually split open (though they may be left whole), gutted, salted liberally, and then sun and air-dried.

[2] It was originally a preservation technique, as salt inhibits the growth of bacteria, allowing fish to be stored for long periods of time.

[3][4] Daing is fried or grilled before consumption, though it can also be wrapped in foil and baked in an oven.

A variant of daing known as labtingaw uses less salt and is dried for a much shorter period (only a few hours).

The resulting daing is still slightly moist and meatier than the fully dried variant.