When the wait staff come to your table holding a huge steaming plastic bag in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, you know you’re in for something special. They cut the bag open and out pours a mound of prawns, crab legs, mussels, corn on the cob, potatoes and sausage, all covered in a rich, tomato-based, seafood-y broth, slightly sweet and with a hint of paprika and spice. (Hot sauce is available to ratchet up the heat if you desire.) You order by size or number of diners — recommended sizes come for two, three, four or more people. Put your gloves on, tuck in a napkin and turn off any shame-based inhibitions, as for the next half an hour you will become covered in sauce, hands, face and shirt front. The main thing is to crack and shell with abandon, doing whatever is necessary to suck out the salty, fleshy goodness from the kaimoana.

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