Three or four ingredients are traditional in a clambake: clams (which should be littlenecks, not steamers, to minimize sandiness and make eating easier); lobster, of which you don’t need much, about half per person; corn, an ear (or two, if it’s good) per person; sausage, which you can certainly do without if you prefer; and melted butter, which is entirely optional (and I find entirely unnecessary). If you have those things, all you need to do to mimic a real outdoor clambake, basically, is dump them in a pot, cover it, and turn on the heat. No kidding.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1/2 to 1 pound kielbasa (optional)

　　1/2 to 1 pound good slab bacon in 2 pieces (optional)

　　3 pounds hardshell clams, washed

　　3 pounds mussels, well washed and debearded

　　About 1 pound tiny new potatoes or larger waxy potatoes cut into chunks of less than 1 inch

　　Two 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound lobsters

　　4 ears corn, shucked

　　Melted butter (optional)

　　

Step 1

Put the meat if you’re using it in the bottom of a very large pot, like a lobster pot (or divide the ingredients between 2 large pots). Add the clams and mussels, then the potatoes. Top with the lobster and corn and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and turn the heat to high.

　　

Step 2

Cook, shaking the pot a little every few minutes, for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and carefully (there is a danger of scalding) check one of the potatoes to see whether it is done. If not, re-cover and cook for another 10 minutes or so.

　　

Step 3

Put the corn, meat, and lobsters on one or more platters. Put the mollusks in a large bowl and ladle some of the cooking juices over them. Serve, if you like, with melted butter.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.