Bermuda Fish Chowder

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice
• 5 cups water
• 2 1/4 lb mixed white fish fillets such as cod, grouper, tilefish, and snapper, skin and bones removed
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice, tied in a cheesecloth bag
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch stirred together with 3 tablespoons water
• 12 small hard-shell clams such as littlenecks, scrubbed
• 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dark rum, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons Sherry pepper sauce