Festive Shrimp Creole

I got this tasty recipe from the Good Housekeeping magazine. My husband and I love spicy food, so I'm inclined to add more hot sauce than this calls for. I think the bacon fat gives it an added good flavor.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 6  slices bacon
• 3  garlic cloves, sliced
• 3  medium celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 -2  green peppers or 1 -2  red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1  large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle  clam juice
• 2  lbs shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2  tablespoons lime juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  hot pepper sauce
•  cooked rice

Directions

1. In 12 inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until browned, stirring often. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain.
2. To bacon fat in skillet, add garlic, celery, peppers and onion and cook over medium heat uncovered for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes and clam juice; heat to boiling over high heat and reduce to medium and cook about 30 minutes or until liquid reduces. It depends on your taste as to how juicy you want this.
4. Stir shrimp into vegetable mixture and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque throughout, stirring frequently.
5. Stir in lime juice, hot pepper sauce and crumbled bacon.
6. Serve over a bed of fluffy rice.