Labor-Free Labor Day Cookout

With Labor Day weekend coming up, a lot of people will fire up their grills for one last summer cookout. The obvious choices are chicken and dogs and burgers. But why not try something different this time by grilling seafood? In fact, with the following simple menu, you're sure of a Labor Day cookout that requires very little labor indeed!

• With seafood, which I think is one of the nicest things to grill, your options are pretty wide open -- smaller oysters and clams in their shells, shrimp, or fish like salmon, trout, or bass.
• Toss shellfish and fish with salt and olive oil before placing it on a hot grill. You'll know shellfish is done when the shells open up; shrimp will turn pink and opaque. Fish is done when the flesh is opaque and starts to flake.
• As accompaniment, grill lemon quarters to squeeze over the cooked seafood, or serve the seafood with a dipping sauce. You can buy a great sauce, or make a really easy one just by adding Tabasco, freshly grated horseradish, and ketchup, or by whisking together olive oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce.
• Of course, no cookout is complete without a range of sides. I like to keep it simple by tossing fresh corn on the cob right onto the grill, along with quartered onion, garlic, and vegetables that have been tossed with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper.