From pineapple and mayonnaise sandwiches to tomato pie, “It sounds weird, but it works,” can be said about plenty of beloved Southern dishes. That’s certainly true for one of my favorite appetizer recipes, which was created and made famous right in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama. West Indies Salad, or West Indies as the locals say, might sound like an exotic dish, even tropical. It’s neither. And because of its bland color palette, it’s a food stylist’s worst nightmare. That’s why the well-meaning folks from our Test Kitchen served it up on fluffy pieces of Bibb lettuce and threw some chopped fresh mint in there, bless their hearts. I don’t know what my aunts would do if they saw mint in their West Indies.
The History Of West Indies Salad
West Indies Salad is one of those things Southerners call a salad because it consists of ingredients mixed in a bowl, not because it’s a lettuce-based dish someone from up North might recognize as “salad.” The original recipe is credited to Bill Bayley Sr., who owned a restaurant by several names starting in 1947: Bayley’s Steak House, Bayley’s Restaurant, and Bayley’s Seafood Restaurant. His son, Bill Jr., took over Bayley’s Seafood Restaurant a few decades ago until it closed in 2022. In a video made by the Southern Foodways Alliance, Bill Jr. admits he didn’t pay much attention to where the famed salad came from, but according to his mama “and a couple more people,” Bill Sr. had been on a Merchant Marines ship down in the Caribbean (hence the name) and made a similar dish with fresh lobster. He tried it with crabmeat instead once he was home, and West Indies Salad was born. Bill Jr. said his father liked a simple salad of cucumbers, onions, vinegar, oil, and ice water, so he suspected that’s where the inspiration came from.
That original secret recipe went public in the Junior League of Mobile’s 1964 cookbook, “Recipe Jubilee,” and it’s been on every hors d’oeuvres spread on both sides of the bay since. Thanks to my sweet mom, I have a copy of that cookbook at my house. (I don’t think she actually gave it to me. She thinks I’m borrowing it.)
Tucked away in the “Salad Jamboree” section is the six ingredient recipe that started it all. True to what I said earlier about “salads” in the South, the three other recipes that share a page with West Indies all contain at least one package of gelatin.
ROBBIE CAPONETTO
How To Make West Indies Salad
The Original Bayley West Indies Salad Recipe, credited to William Bayley, Bayley’s Steak House from “Recipe Jubilee”
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
4 ounces Wesson Oil
3 ounces cider vinegar
4 ounces ice water
Salt and pepper
Spread half of onion over bottom of large bowl. Cover with separated crab lumps and then remaining onion. Salt and pepper. Pour oil, vinegar, ice water over all. Cover and marinate for two to twelve hours. Toss lightly before serving.
That’s it, y’all. Seriously. The Southern Living recipe for West Indies Salad is decidedly gussied up, if that’s what you’re into.
Because West Indies has so few ingredients, you want to be sure they’re high quality ones. If you’re reading this article from a landlocked location that doesn’t have easy access to fresh crabmeat, wait until you visit Mobile for your first Mardi Gras to taste West Indies. Please, folks, don’t try this at home. Coastal friends, start with fresh jumbo lump crabmeat. Be sure to pick through it with your fingers for any pieces of shell that got left behind. Bill Jr. is very specific about layering the onion and crab meat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste, and pouring the oil and vinegar first and ice water last.
Don’t do yourself a disservice and make the West Indies right before guests arrive. They’ll politely feign delight, but it will not taste good. No, these ingredients need time to get acquainted. The Bayley recipe recommends covering and marinating (in the fridge) two-12 hours. I tend to lean on the latter side of that equation and make it the night before I plan to serve it.
How To Serve West Indies Salad
According to Bill Jr., “The true way to serve it is in a bowl, and just eat it out of that bowl.” Since most people serve West Indies as an appetizer for a crowd at holidays or dinner parties, it’s often presented as more of a dip. The most common way Mobilians serve West Indies is with a Southern favorite: saltine crackers. Again, this is not a magazine cover-worthy dish. It’s all beige, y’all. But don’t you dare come out here trying to pair those cute little cranberry crackers or everything bagel pita chips with your West Indies Salad because they look better on your serving platter. The saltine is the only vehicle for West Indies. Not a Ritz. Not a Wheat Thin. Maybe, maybe a Club cracker in dire straits. But that’s on Christmas Day and the store is closed, and you didn’t check the pantry to be sure you had saltines before.
My mom serves this Mobile specialty in a dip-and-chip-type bowl, with the West Indies in the small portion so it can be surrounded by or sit on top of ice and remain chilled while we all stand around it and make it disappear. The saltines go on a platter next to that.
West Indies is the ideal coastal appetizer. It’s chilled, refreshing, and highlights fresh Gulf seafood. It’s light, so it won’t ruin your appetite for dinner. The ingredient list couldn’t be simpler, and that’s why it works. I apologize to all the food stylists, but it doesn’t need any bells and whistles. If you’re ever in L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama, for the uninitiated), do yourself a favor and find a local spot—or better, a local grandmother—that serves it.
