The Sampler Recipe

Chill bed

Spread crushed ice evenly across a shallow platter or individual serving plates to create a cold bed for shellfish. Keep refrigerated until ready to arrange.

Prepare lemon and garnishes

Cut lemon into 4 wedges. Place horseradish in a small bowl, arrange hot sauce, cocktail sauce, and parsley sprigs into serving bowls or ramekins for easy access.

Combine red wine vinegar, finely minced shallot, freshly ground black pepper and optional sugar in a small bowl. Stir and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Chill briefly if preferred.

Rinse oyster and clam shells under cold running water to remove grit. Use a stiff brush to scrub the shells. Keep them cold on ice while you prepare to shuck.

Shuck oysters

Using an oyster knife and a towel or glove for protection, hold an oyster flat-side up. Insert the tip of the knife at the hinge, twist gently to pop it open. Run the knife under the top shell to sever the muscle, then lift off the top shell. Slide the knife under the oyster to free it from the bottom shell, keeping the oyster level to preserve its liquor. Place each oyster on the bed of ice in its shell and repeat for all oysters.

Open clams

For littleneck clams, if serving raw, shuck similarly to oysters: open at the hinge carefully with a knife, sever the muscle, and place on the ice bed. If any clam does not open or has an unpleasant smell, discard. Alternatively, clams may be quick-steamed until they just open (see optional cooking shrimp section) — if steamed, cool them on ice before serving.

Boil shrimp

Bring 8 cups water to a rolling boil in a medium pot with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, bay leaf, halved lemon, and optional Old Bay seasoning. Once boiling, add the 4 large shrimp and cook until opaque and pink, about 2–3 minutes depending on size. Do not overcook.

Immediately transfer shrimp to an ice bath (bowl of ice water) to stop cooking and chill quickly, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Peel if desired (leave tails on for presentation) and arrange on the ice bed with oysters and clams.

On the chilled platter, arrange 4 oysters (in their bottom shells), 4 clams (in shell), and 4 chilled shrimp spaced evenly. Tuck lemon wedges among the shellfish. Place ramekins of cocktail sauce, mignonette, horseradish and a few drops of hot sauce nearby. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Serve immediately with small forks or oyster forks and napkins. Encourage diners to taste oysters raw with a squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of mignonette, clams raw or with preferred condiments, and shrimp with cocktail sauce or horseradish.

All shellfish should be very fresh and properly refrigerated. Keep oysters, clams and cooked shrimp on ice until served. If you prefer all cooked shellfish, steam clams until they open (discard any that do not open) and serve warm or cooled. Adjust condiments to taste.