Yes, if you bury them deeply enough in the pile, there won't be a smell. I once had an entire bin made of nothing but fish, mainly Haddock parts. Now, that smelled. And caused some neighborhood heartache. One of my neighbors asked me to hang two clothes pins from trees, one on each end of my property, so she could put one on her nose when she was walking by from the east and another one on her return trip past my property from the west. Oh, that Marge T.! What a card! Something bizarrely macabre happened to that ill conceived storage bin. I went out after three or four days and I'm sure I screamed out loud when I got up to the bin to find all the Haddock heads and noses facing outwards and half pulled through the wire of the bin. So, I'm faced with dozens of dead Haddock who look like they spent the evening trying to escape the bin. I suspect a raccoon was behind the horrifying scene staging.

I use smell, but I think I use sight more. How can you "smell" when onions are transluscent? I suppose they might have a certain smell at that point, but I think I use sight more. I never really thought about it before I guess!! I usually taste at the end to adjust seasoning as Annie said. Now that I'm thinking about it, I guess I do use smell a bit more than I thought. When I'm making things like Cuban black beans or chili, I do smell to make sure I have enough spice - I can smell whether there's enough cumin for example. But in dishes that have to cook a long time, like gravy (spaghetti sauce), it doesn't make sense to taste until you're getting towards the end because the alcohol in the wine needs to cook out, the different ingredients need time to meld, etc. I guess whatever works for you is the right way to do it! Everyone has their own technique. Lisa

I generally use cast iron. Gotta be deep enough to hold a decent amount of oil, and the thermal retention properties of cast iron keeps the temp of the oil from dipping too quickly when you add the fish. (But don't fill the pan up at once with fish; add the fish a few at a time so the temperature doesn't plummet. If the temperature goes down too much, the crust won't 'set' and it will instead become a sponge for all the oil. Yuck.) And as an added bonus, deep frying stuff is a great way to season (or enhance the seasoning on) cast iron. Another very good way to fry fish is to use an electric frypan, if it's deep enough. These have a thermostat that makes keeping the right temperature a snap. Just thinking: you don't see those electric skillets as much as you used to. In the sixties, everybody seemed to have one on the counter.

Halibut is my favourite "ocean" fish. I just love it! My favourite is classic English Style Fish and Chips. Until recently I thought it only possible to get good fish and chips at a Fish and Chip Shop but recently I tried this recipe and it was excellent. Tempura Batter - Garden Guru's recipe for the matter , my instructions for the fish. 1 Cup flour ¼ Cup cornstarch ¼ Tspsalt ½ Tsp sugar ( I omit) 1 Tsp baking powder Oil for deep-frying Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add soda water gradually, stirring with a fork, first to create a paste and then until mixture is like a thick pancake batter. Don;t make it to this , it needs to be like a thick pancake batter so add soda slowly. Heat oil for frying to 375 F - 400 F. Slice halibut so that filets are no more than 1/2 inch thick and maybe 4 " long . Dry fish filets on paper towels. Dip fish in batter, coating completely. Shake off excess. Fry battered fish until light brown and crispy. Do not crowd pan, or oil temperature will drop. No more than will cover ¾ of the surface of the oil. Drain on paper towels. VARIATION: PANKO TEMPURA To use Japanese breadcrumbs (panko), dip items in batter, smoosh around in crumbs, then fry. Another favourite recipe if you don;t want to fry is this recipe from the Cooking Forum. Excellent dish! Halibut - Parmesan Crusted (Lori Hoopysmom) 1/2 Cup flour 2 large eggs 2 Tbl water 2 Cup panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs) 1 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese Zest of 1 lemon chopped 4 I6-ounce halibut fillets skin removed H3 Tblolive oil Set up 3 bowls. Place flour in the first bowl. In the second bowl, beat eggs and water. In the third bowl, combine panko, Parmesan and chopped lemon zest. First dredge the flesh side of halibut fillets in teh flour, shaking off the excess. Next, dip the flesh side in the egg. Third, dredge the flesh side in the panko mixture to coat and then pat gently to press the mixture into the egg. Preheat oven to 400. Heat olive oil in an ovenproof nonstick pan on medium high heat. Place fillets crust side down in the pan. Sear until a golden-brown crust forms, about 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and place the pan in the preheated oven. Roast until the centers are pearly white and opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.