Halibut Corn Chowder

So I made some Halibut Corn Chowder from a recipe originally published in "Alaskan Halibut Recipes" by Cecilia Nibeck ISBN: 0-9622117-0-2 and everyone loved it.  Don't be intimidated!  This chowder can be made in under an hour!  The recipe seemed a bit blah for my taste and I wanted to kick it up a notch by adding more ingredients.  First off, I want more potatoes!  Jim loves his potatoes and I love my moms clam chowder that is chock-full of them!  Well if you have more potatoes, shouldn't you have sour cream, chives and garlic?  Since it's halibut it needs to have lots of dill weed.  I also think potatoes and bacon are best friends, so don't skimp on the bacon---and while you're at it, make it that thick-peppered stuff!

1 lb. halibut, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 slices thick, peppered bacon, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBSP flour
4 good sized potatoes, peeled and diced (I like about a 1" chunk)
1 cup water
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 can whole-kernel corn (I use what I pressure can from the summer.  Nothing beats Olathe corn!)
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk
2 TBSP. chopped parsley
1 TBSP. garlic powder
2 tsp. chives, dry or diced
1/2 cup sour cream (at the end)
*If you REALLY want to be decadent, slide 2 TBSP of butter in the pot to melt before you serve it!

Cook bacon until crisp.  Saute onions until tender, stir in flour.  Add potatoes, water, salt, pepper and dill weed.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender.  Add halibut, parsley, garlic powder and chives.  Cover and simmer until fish flakes easily.  Add corn, half-and-half and milk.  Do not boil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add 1/2 cup sour cream to stir in and serve.

I love this with oyster/saltine crackers!

*for grins and giggles and if you want even more for this chowder you can finely dice a carrot and celery with the potatoes to add color and taste!