1-First, grab your seafood as close to the serving date as possible, like the day of or the day before, to keep it super fresh. If you’re dealing with raw items, take them out of any plastic bags right away, put them in a colander, and cover loosely with cling wrap for good airflow this helps maintain quality. For the blue swimmer crabs, follow simple instructions to cut them while keeping the claws intact, and for Moreton Bay bugs, flip them on their back, cut down the middle, and clean out the yellow and brown bits.

2-Next, whip up your chosen sauces and pop them in the fridge until it’s time to serve; this keeps things cool and ready. Cook the mussels with finely diced vegetables, then let them cool to room temperature for the best taste and presentation. When assembling, you can cover a large tray with ice if you want to keep everything cold and stable it’s a neat trick for bigger gatherings.

3-Now, arrange the prawns, crab, and bugs on the platter, drape the smoked salmon around randomly for a nice look, and fan out those sashimi slices. Lay the oysters in a single layer or slightly overlapped to hold onto their juices, and serve the mussels in their half shells with the diced vegetables and a bit of cooking liquid for extra moisture and flavor. Finally, tuck the sauce bowls in among the seafood, scatter lemon wedges everywhere, and set out finger bowls, shell bowls, and plenty of napkins so everyone can dig in without a mess.