Conch Chowder - The Local Palate

Ingredients

• ¼ pound slab bacon, rind removed and diced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, and diced
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 Scotch Bonnets, seeded and minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 8 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 quart peeled plum tomatoes, crushed
• 1 quart tomato purée
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons each of fresh oregano and basil, chopped
• 1 quart fish stock
• 2⅔ quarts bottled clam juice
• 3 cups diced potatoes, cooked and drained (scrub, but do not peel potatoes)
• Hot sauce