WE ONLY ASKED ONCE AND OUR PAPA MADE THIS FOR US : TOPSHELL SALAD, THAT EDIBLE SEA SNAIL

There are some things we crave from our father. He makes some times very simple fairs and some times not. This salad made of sea snails is so delicious. We remember opening a can of it when we were young and tried to down the can, only that it doesn't taste good without preparation. We were out the other day with Thomas and he confessed having done the same. This is cheap stuff. Not that we can remember how much a can costs in the supermarket but it isn't expensive. This is how papa prepared the salad.

Ingredients (serves 4 but in our case, 1):
1 can topshell in soy sauce (abt 12 shellfish)
1 salad onion, he didn't use the red ones because he said it is too spicy
1 red chilli, cut
Juice of 2 calamansi
A teaspoon of fermented soy beans
A teaspoon of sugar
A teaspoon of rice vinegar

Method:

1. Drain the topshells and pour hot water over it. Drain. Pour hot water a second time. Drain. Slice into halves. 
2. Slice the onion and the chilli.
3. Prepare the marinate with the condiments as stated above.
4. Put the topshells, onions and chilli together in the marinate. It is best to let it marinate for at least 10 minutes before you serve.

Topshells? These are sea mollusks that grow along rocky sea shores. They have been harvested for food for a long time. The canned topshells are braised in a soy sauce mixture. Some cans have them in brine. They have a chewy texture, a little like abalone. In fact, they are sometimes called poor man’s abalone.