Recipe for Golbaengi Muchim (골뱅이 무침) - Seasoned Sea Snails with Minari

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Discard woody stalks and bruised leaves, and wash the minari. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
Wash the cucumber and carrot (if you are using it), and slice the cucumber into half moons or matchsticks. Julienne the carrot. Chop the scallion, and mince the garlic and ginger. Add all of these to the bowl.
Open a can of the shellfish and drain the liquid. Cut the larger snails in half, then put them with the sliced vegetables.
Make a sauce with the rest of the ingredients. Pour the seasoning over the shells and mix gently, but thoroughly.
Serve as a side dish to your meal, or enjoy with somyeon as an anju.

1 bunch that has been cleaned, turns out to be about 2-3 loose cups of minari.
If you don't have minari at your local Asian supermarket, you can omit this and add more cucumber and carrot. Thinly sliced sweet onion is also a welcomed ingredient for this dish.
Sea snails come in a variety of sizes, but the ones we use are called bai top shells. You can find the canned shells at the Asian market, but sometimes these sea snails look more akin to their common land cousins (less pointy, more domed). These snails are a kind of mollusk that live in the sea, with a cooked texture similar to abalone. If you can't find bai top shells at your local Asian food store, you can use any other sea snail, as long as it isn't too large (if you decide to use abalone or conch, you will have to slice them into smaller pieces).
You can find Japanese sōmen (索麺、そうめん) or Korean somyeon (소면) at most Asian supermarkets. They are thin white noodles made with wheat flour.
Enjoy the dish as-is, without noodles. Add the noodles if it will be served as a meal, or with alcohol.

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