The traditional clambake is an all-day affair, although most guests arrive in the evening. They're just in time to enjoy a few drinks before the tarpaulin is peeled off the steaming heap of corn, potatoes and soft-shell, cherrystone or littleneck clams--not the big, hard-shelled quahogs. Some clambakes also include lobsters, chickens, sausages and eggs.

But we're not going to lie--it's not easy. For a truly authentic clambake, you must first go to the beach and dig a pit two or three feet deep, line it with rocks, and tend a wood fire until the rocks reach 400 degrees F. The hot rocks are thickly lined with wet seaweed and layered with potatoes, corn in the husk, clams and more seaweed. The pit is covered with a tarpaulin, weighted down with more rocks, and left to steam for about three hours. It's a labor-intensive way to cook.

For a simpler clambake, you can steam the clams and accompaniments on the stovetop. For the most authentic indoor version, Chef Anthony Ambrose, owner of Boston's Ambrosia on Huntington restaurant, places rocks in a large metal washtub across a couple of stovetop burners. Layer in seaweed and clams, and pour in a couple gallons of seawater. Bring to a boil and steam for 20 minutes to reproduce the briny flavor of beachside clambakes.

But if you have neither seawater nor seaweed, you can still have a clambake on a rack over hot coals on your grill. It helps to parboil potatoes and lobster first, because they take longest to cook, but the corn and clams will cook through in the grill's heat.

For an even more stripped-down version, forget about the grill. Put the clams in a pot on the stove, perhaps with corn and chorizo, or with aromatics such as saffron and shallots, and steam until they open. Discard any clams that stay closed. Though you won't experience the joys of digging a sand pit, you'll be sure to dig your very own stovetop clambake.