why would anybody except Splash Mermaid eat the crab legs in the shell? I know it’s crunchy but those shells have mini-thorns. At some point I’m going to puncture my skin when I touch them.

so yes. I prefer crab legs without shells. I buy them on Monday, remove the shells while the steak fries are finishing in the oven, and then leave the shells in the sink. Post supper, I put the shells in kitchen compost bin, take the compost bag to the big compost bin in the garage, open the garage door, and remove the compost and other bins from garage to sidewalk :-)