This Is One of the Best Cruise Lines for Food Lovers

I really like this technique,” says João Sá, chef-owner of Sála de João Sá, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Lisbon, as he lifts his bacalhau in the air. The preserved fish is one of the most iconic ingredients in Portuguese cuisine, and I’m getting to learn how to cook it from one of the nation’s top chefs. Only, we aren’t anywhere near Lisbon. We’re floating among the waves on board the Silver Ray, a brand-new ship from Silversea.  

Starting simply with onion and garlic in olive oil, Sá gently cooks the fish until it becomes juicy enough to shred, then mixes it with fried potatoes and eggs, handing it off to guests to devour in the dish called bacalhau à Brás. It’s an experience that any culinary fan would be lucky to have, but it’s par for the course for guests of Silversea’s ever-expanding S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program.

“I think cruise travelers deserve it,” says Adam Sachs, the director of the program, when asked why his team put such monumental effort into the culinary offerings. “We also have to reach the next generation of travelers who are very comfortable traveling on their own and imagine that when they go somewhere, they’re going to really dive deeply into it.” 

Often with cruising, you don’t get the benefit of sticking around long enough to get a true sense of place. That’s where S.A.L.T. comes in, to extend the journey just a little bit longer and a little bit deeper through the chef’s table, shore excursions, a bar, and a culinary center and kitchen known as the lab. 

“You can find a different menu with every port that we go to,” says S.A.L.T. sous chef German Castellanos, as we sit around the gleaming white marble countertop surrounding the chef’s station. “We take the flavors from each region and present them to you.” For our night around the oven, Castellanos and Sá have created a tasting menu to reflect our day in Portugal’s capital.

The decadent culinary experiences don’t stop with S.A.L.T. At the onboard French restaurant La Dame, the staff’s deep commitment to excellence materialized in a Dover sole that was deboned tableside. (“I practiced on anchovies,” our server joked.) There’s more fine dining at the seafood-centric Atlantide, tabletop barbecue at The Grill, sushi and teppanyaki at Kaiseki, and Italian at La Terrazza. 

As Sá finishes his demonstration, one participant asks, “How can I find the best sardines?” Sá’s answer is simple: “You come to Portugal.” And luckily, our ship returned us right back to where we came from, to do just that.

Set sail with Silversea

10-day Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro cruise: Experience a private Argentinean beef master class and asado barbecue on a rooftop in Buenos Aires with S.A.L.T. Feb. 21–March 3, from $10,600

11-day Barcelona to Lisbon cruise: Experience rare sherry barrel tastings and lunch at an eighth-generation family-owned sherry producer with S.A.L.T. June 14–25, from $9,100

If you can’t make the dates work for a Silver Ray sailing, its twin ship, Silver Nova, offers a mirror image of the dining venues and tailor-made excursions for its ports of call. www.silversea.com