West Indies Salad

On the way to Dauphin Island from Mobile, you pass a local restaurant called Bayley’s. Bill Bayley, the founder, is credited with inventing the West Indies Salad which is a layered concoction of onions and crab meat marinated in a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Mr. Bayley was very generous with his recipe and it has been published in numerous cookbooks as well as the Mobile Press Register. It is simple to make and simply delicious.

1 medium sweet onion, finely diced (I prefer Vidalia)

1 pound fresh lump crabmeat

4 ounces Wesson oil

3 ounces cider vinegar

4 ounces ice water

salt and pepper

Spread half of the onion over bottom of large dish. Cover with separated crab lumps, then the remaining onion. Salt and pepper. Mix oil, vinegar and ice water and pour over crab covering all. Cover and marinate for two to twelve hours. Toss lightly before serving.

Make you a salad of fresh greens with a big dollop of West Indies Salad smack dab in the middle. Or, eat it with crackers. Or, make a salad and eat it with crackers. The only thing that could have made this any better is if I had caught the crabs, picked the meat and rushed right in to make the salad.

Layers of crab and onion in a marinaded in a simple oil and vinegar dressing.

Put a big ‘ol dollop of the West Indies Salad on a bed of fresh salad greens. Or serve the West Indies Salad with crackers. Or put a dollop on a bed of lettuce greens and serve with crackers