(Family Features) With busy family schedules, it can be difficult to find time to prepare a homemade dinner. Instead of reaching into the freezer or grabbing a burger on the run, you can prepare a delicious meal in minutes to satisfy the whole family with a few simple steps.

Because it allows you to spend more time at the table than in the kitchen, shrimp is a great choice for weeknight meals. It cooks quickly and can be enjoyed with a variety of different flavors to satisfy even the pickiest palates. The versatility of cooking with shrimp also allows your inner chef to have fun with flavors and preparations – you can grill it with your favorite sauce, bake it with a combination of spices, poach it and toss it on a salad or use it as an ingredient in a pasta dish.

For nights when you are short on time but do not want to forgo a home-cooked meal, here are four quick and easy tips from the experts at Red Lobster for preparing a dish with grilled shrimp.

Step 1: Skewer
Start preparing delicious grilled shrimp using the double-piercing method, which is important as it allows the shrimp to cook evenly and consistently, and provides room for proper saucing.

To double pierce, start by picking up a piece of shrimp and imagining it is the letter “C.” Pierce through the bottom of the shrimp, then the top and slide it to the end of the skewer. Continue this process until your skewer is fully stacked with four to six shrimp.

Step 2: Sauce
After your shrimp are skewered, select sauces to enhance the flavor. You might have a family favorite, or open it up to let everyone pick their favorite sauce, whether it be barbecue, sweet chili or any type of delicious seasoning. Once you’ve decided on your flavors, use a basting brush to coat both sides of each skewer before putting the shrimp on the grill or in a grill pan.

Step 3: Grill
After your shrimp have been basted, it is time to grill. With an outdoor grill or large grill pan, grill shrimp for 1 1/2-2 minutes on each side, using tongs to flip the skewer once. Be careful not to overcook – shrimp will start to curl up and dry out if they stay on the grill too long.

Once the shrimp is cooked, complete the meal by serving the skewers over a starch, such as rice or mashed potatoes, and a fresh seasonal vegetable, like Brussels sprouts.

Step 4: Rely on the Pros
At the end of a long day, quality time with loved ones is where time is best spent. While shrimp is an easy meal to make in minutes, it’s even simpler to leave the cooking to the experts. During Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster, there’s something for everyone – and you can order as much as you want, any way you want. The entire family can try new things, like the Parmesan Peppercorn Shrimp while also enjoying favorites, like Hand-Crafted Shrimp Scampi.

For more inspiration on ways to enjoy shrimp, visit redlobster.com.   

Sponsored by Red Lobster