Bayley’s Famous
West Indies Salad and
Fried Crab Claws

Bayley’s Restaurant’s history began in 1947 when Bill Bayley Sr. opened it on Dauphin Island Parkway in Theodore, Alabama. It soon became famous for its West Indies Salad, which Bill created in the 40s after being a ship steward. The original restaurant closed in the 1980s, but his son, Bill Bayley Jr., reopened it in a new location in 1993 after working with his father’s catering business.

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Mr. Bayley invented the West Indies Salad and stated that the key was using cider vinegar, never white vinegar. He always put the oil in first and then the vinegar. Just-caught crabmeat from the Gulf was another essential ingredient, and that’s all Bayley’s ever used – never frozen crab or crab that came from somewhere else. Bayley’s Restaurant is also famous for inventing fried crab claws in the 60s, a dish that became a Gulf Coast favorite. Bill came up with the idea to bread and fry the claws instead of discarding them, as many chefs did. Although the original restaurant and its successor, operated by his son, closed in 2022, the dish continues to be popular.