1-First, clean and prepare your seafood by patting it dry and handling items like blue swimmer crabs without removing their claws. This step ensures everything looks and tastes great when served.

2-Next, whip up your chosen sauces ahead of time and chill them in the fridge for easy access.

3-Then, cook any fresh additions like mussels with diced vegetables until they’re ready, but keep them at room temperature for the platter.

4-Now, assemble on a large dish maybe with a layer of ice for a cool touch. Pile high with prawns, crabs, and bugs, drape the smoked salmon, and fan out the sashimi pieces.

5-Lay oysters and mussels in a single layer to hold their juices, scatter lemon wedges around, and tuck in bowls of sauces.

6-Finally, set out finger bowls, discard bowls for shells, and plenty of napkins to make eating enjoyable. The whole process focuses on cleaning, cutting, and arranging, with prep time mostly under an hour if mussels need cooking.