5:30 Challenge -- Seven-minute garlic shrimp

Seven-Minute Garlic Shrimp

To make the meal

Pasta

Tossed salad

Here's a quick shrimp recipe that's a family favorite for Nisha Moussakhani. “My Italian mother used to make this for dinner parties in Connecticut in the summers when we had guests. I learned most of my skills from my mother, so I give her all the credit in the world, more than any chef at Johnson and Wales where I studied,” she said.

These days Moussakhani most often serves this shrimp as a quick first course, adding a pinch of chile flakes, garnishing with a little extra virgin olive oil and serving with crostini. She recommends a glass of Pinot Grigio as the perfect accompaniment.

Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main-dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don’t need to be included in the ingredients.) You can also suggest a side dish if it can be made within the same time. Send recipes to 5:30 Challenge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30346. E-mail fivethirty@ajc.com.

Seven-Minute Garlic Shrimp

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 pound large shrimp, peeled

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil and add garlic and shallots. Sauté until onion is just translucent, about 4 minutes, then add shrimp and lemon juice. Cook 3 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Serve over pasta or on crostini.

Per serving: 187 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 23 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 173 milligrams cholesterol, 169 milligrams sodium.