Horned Turban Sea Snail has a spiny outer shell and a door like shell at the opening. It is in season from the winter to spring and has a more firm bite texture when cooked/raw.
When you are preparing sea snails in general, you need to make sure you know what type you have and how they need to be processed properly to avoid getting sick. There are parts of sea snail that has toxins that can make you sick and they need to be removed before you eat. Some varieties of 소라 (so-ra) should not be eaten raw at all, while some like this type can be eaten raw.
Because this sea snail has a hard door like shell at the opening, it is easier to cook it and then remove the meat and use the meat in various ways. If you want to use it raw you can break the shell open and remove the meat and then process it. Below is just a general idea of how to process 뿔소라.
The basic steps to prepare this sea snail is to first clean the outside of the shell with a brush, then boil it in water with soy bean paste or salt and cooking alcohol to help remove any unwanted odors and slimy texture. Based on on the size of the shell you need to boil it for 10-20 minutes. Do not use the water that you blanched the sea snail in, make sure to throw that water away. You can also steam the sea snail to cook it. After cooking, do not blanch the sea snail in ice water, just let them cool on their own.
Some sea snails have a salivary gland called 침샘. This salivary gland has toxins in it and it can make you sick. You never save and eat the 침샘 (salivary gland). 뿔소라 does not have a salivary gland like other sea snails.
Instead you want to remove the tooth and guts from 뿔소라 before using it. Some people save the guts for porridge to add more flavor or cook and separate them from the meat to use but there are various reasons people do not or do use it. The guts have a bitter flavor and if you eat too much of them it can make you feel sick.
Horned turban sea snail can be boiled and sliced thinly and eaten with sesame oil and salt, made into porridge, grilled, steamed, made into a seasoned side dish after being boiled, or eaten raw (scrub the meat with salt to remove slime when eating raw).
