These Korean spicy whelk noodles or golbaengi muchim are one of my favorite spring and summer dishes. This noodle salad is a little sweet and a little spicy with a whole lot of flavor.
I’m a big seafood lover so I loveeee whelks! They’re a bit chewy so they go perfectly with the crisp crunchy veggies. You can’t find canned whelks in HMart but you can sub it for clams, oysters, squid, octopus, or mussels.
I used carrots, cucumbers, onions, scallions, and peppers but you can use any type of veggies you want! It’s your salad after all 🙂

Spicy Whelk Noodles (Golbaengi Muchim)
Ingredients
- 1 can of whelks (sea snails)
- 1 can thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 long green chili pepper chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 4 oz somyeon noodles thin wheat noodles
Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochugaru Korean hot pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp gochujang Korean red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp sugar more to taste
- 2 1/2 tbsp vinegar more to taste
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Drain and rinse a can of whelks. Cut into chunks and transfer to a bowl.
- In the same bowl with the whelks, add cucumber, carrot, onion, pepper, and scallions.
- To make the sauce, combine gochugaru, gochujang, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Stir and mix well.
- Bring a pot of water to boil over medium high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions.
- When the noodles are done, drain and rinse in cold water.
- Serve immediately!
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