This Could Be the Most Delicious Way to Cruise the Mediterranean

Silversea's S.A.L.T. program transforms the traditional cruise experience into an immersive gastronomic journey, where every port becomes a gateway to authentic local flavours and time-honoured traditions. From intimate foraging expeditions to hands-on cooking workshops, this innovative culinary concept ensures that travellers don't simply visit the Mediterranean, they taste it, learn it, and live it. On a journey that includes stops in Portugal and Andalusia, basking in the sunshine with good food and wine is par for the course, writes Fiona Carruthers. Here’s what to expect on your journey.

Indulge in ‘wild-to-table’ dining

An expert forager and spearfisherman, chef José Maria Velhinho is also the founder of Ostra da Terra (meaning oysters of the earth), a project that seeks to educate and promote the eating of wild mushrooms and all things fungus. It’s a “wild-to-table” concept, closely related to “farmgate-to-plate”. Velhinho shares his passion for sustainable food and cooking with select Silversea guests who join him at Campo Escondido – an organic farm near Sintra, about 40 minutes’ drive from Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. 

The experience is just one of many designed by New York-based food writer Adam Sachs, director of Silversea’s S.A.L.T. culinary program. And it doesn’t get much better than this. 

Before sharing a meal under the shade of a timber trellis among the vines, Velhinho, who prefers to dive and fish for his own dinner, guides guests through the farm’s neat rows of herbs (including basil with a fresh peppery edge), giant tomatoes and leafy green vegetables to pick seasonal produce and edible flowers for lunch. Campo Escondido bills itself as a place that strives to “nurture crops but also creativity and togetherness” so Velhinho brings with him an abundance of the produce that’s closest to his heart – baskets of mushrooms, including cantarelos silvestres (wild chanterelles) and boletus aereus (dark ceps). 

Once everyone is seated, a parade of starters emerges, including organic bread with soft, washed-rind azeitão cheese along with sea urchin pâte, champigñon salsa and portobello croquettes, followed by a main course of shiitake and wild mushroom gnocchi with sage. These of-the-earth dishes are carefully paired with wines (all local, of course) or fresh juices and artisan kombucha – a refreshing option after a morning of casual foraging.

Sip wine in Europe’s “westernmost vineyard”

“That’s enough now – sit!” Nicholas von Bruemmer instructs his small pug as it darts around, providing an enthusiastic welcome. Dressed in a blue blazer and wearing a cravat, the wine producer grabs a silver tray from a nearby waiter and starts handing out glasses of sparkling wine. This engaging welcome is a prelude for a three-course lunch with paired wines at the 18th-century villa owned by von Bruemmer, the elegant grandson of legendary late vigneron Baron Bodo von Bruemmer, who founded Casal Sta. Maria (billed as “the most western vineyards in Europe”) and planted his first vines at the age of 96.

While guests dine on local seafood, prosciutto so finely cut you can see right through it and slabs of meat drenched in all manner of sauces, von Bruemmer recounts ancestral tales of racy affairs and wild romances. A pleasant hour is spent wandering through the property’s vines, where it feels like a visit with long-lost family. On a perfect summer afternoon, sipping rosé grown on these stately grounds is the ideal way to unwind away from the hustle of Lisbon.

It’s part of a wider exploration of the town of Sintra and its surrounds, with its higher elevation and welcoming breeze off the Atlantic.

Discover Spain’s specialty drops

 “In wine, you play the long game,” says the host at Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, a vineyard founded in 1792 by Don José Pantaleón Hidalgo, which is today run by the eighth generation of the winemaker’s family.

Overnight, the Silver Ray slipped into Cádiz, a province of Andalusia in southern Spain. Sunshine bounces off the harbour surrounding this ancient city, which dates to roughly 1100 BCE. The region is known as the birthplace of flamenco and for its Moorish architecture but its food offerings are just as enticing. 

For this adventure, provenance, history, craftsmanship and a sense of place are the order of the day. The drive to the vineyard at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 40 minutes north of Cádiz, takes in classic Mediterranean scenery of olive, fig, almond and orange trees along with conifers, shady oaks and, of course, grape vines.

A wander through Hidalgo’s vines and a guided wine tasting (sampling local grape varieties including the famous Pedro Ximénez, palomino and moscatel) precede a spectacular long lunch in the vineyard’s restaurant, Entrebotas, where the cool, cavernous space provides a welcome break from the Spanish sun. Robust Iberian ham, local manchego cheese and a small mountain of crackers are served before local delicacies such as fried fish and chicken roasted in garlic, olive oil and white wine. In short, another day, another port – full of adventure, culture and excellent vino.

The S.A.L.T. experience, brought to you by Silversea

On a S.A.L.T. adventure, you’ll explore the diverse flavours of the Mediterranean through hands-on cooking classes and destination-inspired menus, while intimate chef-led tastings offer insights into the local cuisine. Spend one day onboard indulging in watermelon gazpacho with grated cucumber and mint while looking out at Spain’s Balearic Islands. The next day, stir saffron into a garlicky bouillabaisse and learn about the French classic’s origins while your ship glides past the rugged limestone cliffs of Marseille. While cruising along the Riviera, be sure to leave room for dessert: the Melon Tarte Tatin with Lavender Honey is a caramel-infused Provençal favourite.

As you sail from port to port, the flavours onboard will change to reflect the traditions and people that call each region home. That’s the idea behind S.A.L.T.’s immersive programs, exclusive to all journeys aboard Silver Nova, Silver Moon, Silver Dawn and Silver Ray (and launching on Silver Muse in December 2025). 

Local dining at your fingertips

S.A.L.T. Kitchen is the first restaurant at sea with a menu that evolves with the location. You can order from the overarching journey-inspired Voyage Menu or opt for the Terrain Menu, which features local dishes from each destination that you visit. Think grilled grouper with saffron and garlic crostini inspired by Mallorca’s traditional bullit de peix, or Ligurian red mullet crudo on tomato coulis, as bright and briny as the coast.

This destination-centric approach can also be found at the onboard S.A.L.T. Bar, where you’ll find a martini infused with extra dry vermouth and olive oil or perhaps a velvety “Lion’s Blood” cocktail – a nod to the ancient Roman belief that gladiator blood was a potent elixir, now made with pink gin and blood orange – on the menu.

Hands-on discovery

The onboard S.A.L.T. Lab invites you to roll up your sleeves and extend the adventure. In small groups guided by culinary experts, you might create Tuscan gnudi (ricotta dumplings) or explore the differences between Provençal pistou and its Italian cousin, pesto. You could also prepare l’apéro snacks in Provence (perhaps caviar d’aubergine and thyme-roasted almonds) to enjoy with local wine; or master the art of making coca, the Balearic Islands’ rustic flatbread, layered with Mahón cheese and spiced sobrasada.

When evening falls, guests are invited to join the S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table, an intimate 18-seat dining experience built around an 11-course tasting menu with paired wines and cocktails. Expect refined takes on local classics such as red prawn crudo with citrus, veal tartare with tonnato and zucca ice cream drizzled with pumpkin seed oil – all accompanied by culinary insights and anecdotes from the chef.

Go beyond the ship

On shore, guests can take part in culinary excursions that go beyond each destination’s classic attractions. Walk through the biodynamic gardens of three-Michelin-starred Mirazur with an executive chef before dining in the private tasting kitchen overlooking the French Riviera, or embark on a guided tour through nearly 350 stalls at La Boqueria in Barcelona, the largest food market in Spain. Other excursions could include pasta making and indulging in a traditional Sicilian feast in Palermo; watching a chef flame-roast your meal in the hills of Tuscany; and sipping vino at a 500-year-old family-run Croatian winery.

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