Some people grow up eating and preparing steamers, lobsters, and mussels as a matter of course.
Many others, when faced with the prospect of preparing shellfish or crustaceans for the first time, are filled with trepidation. For the inexperienced, or faint of heart, Reaske's books offer reassuring, straightforward, no-nonsense advice for preparing and eating these delicacies of the ocean. Preparing clams lends itself either to brooding individual absorption or to the cavalier camaraderie of group cooking in a crowded kitchen. There is not a lot that can go wrong. If you want to be intense about it, that's fine, but it isn't necessary.