You are supposed to coat them as you might coat onion rings, and deep fry them. The shell is so soft and crunchy it just seems like part of the fried coating.

I grew up around the blue crabs too. They're a lot more feisty than the orange/red ones. 😊
We like to get a bunch of them and boil them in a pot with corn on the cob. The corn picks up the flavor of the crab. You can add any kind of seasoning you like. It's goooood! You should cook large crabs (about 2lb) for around 15 – 20 minutes, whilst smaller crabs will only need around 8 – 10 minutes. The corn takes about 5 to 7 minutes, but we throw them both together. Get the water boiling FIRST. 😋

seasoned panko, pan-fried and put over a salad with crab and shrimp

I just read that crabs are the new caviar.

Maybe put some herbs in the coating or something

I prefer lobster or shrimp. 🍤

You throw them nasty ass things away and get some good pacific crab legs. King, Snow, Dungeness, etc