In 2024, Norway exported over 81,000 tons, which makes it the world's largest clipfish exporter.
Photo: Norwegian Seafood Council.
In 2024, Norway exported clipfish worth nearly NOK 5.9 billion. In the first quarter of 2025, in only three months, those clipfish exports reached NOK 1.5 billion, corresponding to 20,309 tons, with Portugal, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic being the largest destination markets. More than likely, all three countries were preparing to have the king of their Easter tables ready.
Available all year round, the three mentioned - Portugal, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic - but also other countries such as Jamaica, Mexico, or Congo, are recipients of Norwegian clipfish exports all year round, and in several of them, it is also a national dish.
With an average intake of 17.5 kg per person per year, the Portuguese are world champions in clipfish consumption. The solid demand in Portugal, the largest market specifically for cod clipfish, is helping to boost its export value.
"While higher prices have led to a drop in consumption among the Portuguese, we are seeing a change in purchasing patterns in favour of smaller sizes, which are both more affordable and available in larger volumes. The strong development of tourism in Portugal is also continuing this year, which is boosting demand in the restaurant sector," Seafood Analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan explained in the Norwegian Seafood Council's Q1 2025 report on Norway's seafood exports.
In that "world championship of clipfish eating," Jamaicans come second and Dominicans third, with averages of 6 and 5 kilos of clipfish per person per year, respectively.
The export figures for Norwegian clipfish contrast with the domestic consumption of Norwegians themselves, who, in the words of the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), are "light eaters" when it comes to their own clipfish. In 2024, Norwegians ate around 250 tons. Meanwhile, the country exported over 81,000 tons, which makes it the world's largest clipfish exporter.
Most of that Norwegian clipfish is produced in Norway's clipfish capital, Ålesund, which is why this city in Møre og Romsdal county was chosen by the NSC to bring together chefs from the main destination countries of those exports in what it called 'Chef-Clipfish-Feast'.
As the Norwegian Seafood Council highlighted, in many of those countries where clipfish cod is widely eaten, the Norwegian ingredient is used for much more than the typical tomato-based stew often prepared in its country of origin.
Brazil is one of the countries where various clipfish dishes are both national staples and central to the Easter table. For a Brazilian, clipfish is synonymous with the word 'bacalhau', which means 'cod'. "If you make bacalhau for someone, it means you care about them," said Brazilian chef Lucas Corazza.
At the meeting in Ålesund, Corazza prepared his own variant of 'bolhinos', or clipfish balls. A popular dish in Brazil, there's hardly a traditional bar or restaurant with self-respect that doesn't have them on the menu.
Something similar happens in Portugal, as Portuguese chef Carlos De Medeiros explained. "We call 'bacalhau' our faithful friend and eat it both on weekdays and special occasions. And like in Brazil, there's no Easter without the national dish 'bacalhau'," he claimed.
De Medeiros runs the Michelin-starred restaurant Bar Amour in Oslo, where he dazzles with a blend of Portuguese culture and Nordic flavors – a gastrocultural taste experience he also offered at the 'Chef-Clipfish-Feast', in the form of a clipfish stew and a Portuguese variant of 'bolhinos' he called 'pasteles de bacalhau' (cod cakes).
In the Dominican Republic, 'bacalao' - as it's called there - is also a big deal, especially at Easter, as Aranxta Soto, a chef and food influencer and swears by Norwegian clipfish, explained.
"The 'bacalao' feast is something we look forward to at Easter. It means family gatherings and fond childhood memories," she said. "Norwegian is the best," she continued as she shreds the clipfish and chops plantains, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, which will become small baskets of fried plantains filled with a kind of vegetable and clipfish stew. Pure Dominican flavor straight from Norway.
