Seafood & Corn Chowder

As it's starting to get cold out, I thought I'd pull out a winter time favorite. I've made this from other recipes in the past but this is my own spin. I'll make the full 8-10 servings and save the rest for later!

You'll need some fish stock or fish fumet for this, if you don't have your own you can buy some stock at the store.

Just a side note, I buy whatever fish is at the store and looks good. Clams, mussels, crab, lobster, cod, pollack...whatever you can find...it's all amazing!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Butter (preferably unsalted as this dish is high in salt as it is)

2 Slices of bacon, chopped

1 lb white fish, or 2 dozen clams, or 3 lbs of lobsters or crab

1 Large potato pealed and cut into 3/4" pieces, I like Yukon Golds'

2 cups fresh corn kernels

2 1/2 cups seafood stock

1 tbsp flour

1 Onion - size depending on how much you like onions.

2 cloves garlic

1 Jalapeño seeded and sliced into quarters lengthwise

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

"Flavor Bag" Ingredients:

1 fresh bay leaf

9 whole peppercorns

2 stems fresh thyme

1 coffee filter

Prep:

Wrap bay leaf, peppercorns & thyme in coffee filter and tie it off with some string. It's the flavor bag.

Directions:

1. Boil any shellfish you may have, usually 13 - 15 mins depending on the fish. Clean then boil any clams you might have, usually 10 mins. Remember to throw out the ones that don't open. This is a great opportunity to make some seafood stock if you can by the way.

2. Puree 1 cup seafood stock with 1 cup corn. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until brown. Pour off excess drippings, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Now add Jalapeño slices, garlic and onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 mins. Discard Jalapeño slices. Sprinkle in flour, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in puree mixture and cook until broth thickens, about 2 mins.

3. Place "flavor bag," potatoes, remaining corn, and remaining seafood stock to pot. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 5 to 7 mins.

4. Add fish/seafood to pot with half-and-half and heat until warm, about 1 min. Discard flavor bag and season with salt if necessary.