Here’s the secret: You can’t out-muscle a clam – you have to outsmart it.

Just remember, shellfish are living creatures; if you shake them up, it will make them tense and harder to open.

Be the clam.

The other secret is to thoroughly chill oysters and clams. Louie Larsen from the Net Result advises, “Get them as cold as you can without actually freezing them. The best way is to put them on ice, or if you don’t have enough ice, put them in the refrigerator for about an hour.”

So let’s start with a clam. It’s best to use a clam knife because it has a thin, flat, dull blade, but you can use a paring knife in a pinch.

Begin by holding the clam firmly in the palm of your hand. You’ll notice that one side of the shell flares out – that’s where you want to insert the blade of the knife. Curl the fingers of the hand holding the clam around the outside of the blade and exert steady pressure until the knife slides in. Slide the knife around the clam’s shell so that you cut the two adductor muscles while holding the clam level so as not to spill the juice. Once you’ve opened the clam, cut through the muscles that hold the meat to the shell, and discard the top shell.

Louie has a good clam trick. Since clams have two adductor muscles, cut one muscle beforehand, then put the clam back on ice. The other muscle will hold the clam together. Then, when people come over, you can open the clam by just popping the one muscle with your knife – they won’t believe how fast you are.

Oysters can be a little more challenging, but they just require leverage – not brute force. You’ll also need an oyster knife; it’s shorter and sturdier than a clam knife, with a pointed tip for boring into the shell hinge to pop it open.

Start by holding the oyster down on a flat surface with a folded towel to protect your hands and with the flatter shell facing up. Place the tip of the knife near the hinge at the pointed end. Noted New England seafood chef Jasper White suggests, “Turn your hand as if you were turning the throttle of a motorcycle, pushing in with steady pressure until you feel the snap.” Then slide the knife along the top of the shell, cutting the muscle, and run the knife along the inside bottom of the shell to loosen the meat.

Scallops are more delicate and require a little more finesse, but they don’t have to be put on ice beforehand.

Hold the scallop with the hinge facing away and slide the rounded end of a scallop knife (some people use a sharpened spoon) into the shell, down by the hinge, to separate the muscle. Next, scrape out the gurry and, finally, cut the scallop meat away.

Scallops, clams, and oysters all require slightly different techniques, but with practice, you’ll be able to find just the right spot to insert the knife. Also, if the shell crumbles, which often happens, just move to another spot and try again.

And finally, do you know the real definition of the word oyster?

It’s a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

Thank you and good night.