Fancy Seafood Chowder - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 slices thick cut bacon, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3 -4 stalks celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
2 cups water
1 lb firm white fish (like halibut)
1 lb fresh seafood (I prefer shrimp and scallops)
2 cups half-and-half (1 pint)
salt and black pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper
chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Saute bacon pieces in a large kettle or dutch oven until it starts to brown.
Add onion and celery, saute until soft & translucent.
Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme & sage. Stir frequently for about 1 minute.
Stir in flour and cook for another minute or two stirring constantly. Do not let flour burn!
Add water and clam juice. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
While cooking, wash and prepare seafood by cutting into bite size pieces. I usually cut fish into 1 inch cubes, and halve scallops and peel/devein shrimp.
When potatoes are done, add fish to stock mixture & simmer for five minutes. Add other seafood and cook for two more minutes.
Stir in half and half plus salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Heat through and it's ready to serve. Garnish each bowl with chopped parsley.
Enjoy!