To minimize handling, stun hakes, gut them, and pack them on ice as soon as possible. Whiting are generaly used whole or headed and gutted. Red hake are used dressed or as fillets. Hake and whiting fillets have a very soft texture that can get mushy and spoil rapidly in direct contact with ice or icewater. Red hake and whiting are also poor candidates for freezing, which can change their texture significantly.
Hake fillets become increasingly tough and rubbbery during frozen storage.
Bluefish Bluefish, a popular game fish, are usually plentiful in the summer and fall. Anglers regard them highly for their fighting abilities. Bluefish are so gluttonous that when their stomachs become full they throw up and continue feeding. Bluefish should be respected and handled carefully when they are being landed. Reports suggest that they can see equally well whether in or out of the water, and fingers and toes can be vulnerable targets for their sharp teeth.