Silversea SALT

S.A.L.T. is the acronym for Silversea Cruises‘ Sea and Land Taste. The Silversea S.A.L.T. program is currently available on the Silver Moon and Silver Dawn. I was able to experience S.A.L.T. first-hand on the Silversea Silver Moon’s Northern Europe itinerary – Reykjavik to Copenhagen.

Our sailing featured Nordic cuisine in all things “S.A.L.T.” from the SALT Kitchen to the SALT Lab, SALT Bar, and SALT excursions. The SALT concept is genius – incorporating the 6-star service of Silversea with local, fresh ingredients. SALT brings a whole new meaning to farm-to-table. The “farm” is any given Silversea Silver Moon or Silver Dawn itinerary, and the “table” is the SALT Kitchen (restaurant) and SALT Bar. Rounding out the SALT experience on the ship is the SALT Lab, which is the hands-on kitchen “lab” showing you how to prepare the local cuisine and providing background and perspective on the culture, as it relates to the food. A SALT excursion may take you to a farm, as an example, and this completes – Sea and Land.

Demonstrations in the SALT Lab for my itinerary included “Free Roaming: The Story of Icelandic Lamb” and “Smørrebrød: Nordic Open-Faced Sandwiches”, and there were several classes such as “Beyond the Rotten Shark,” “Cod: The Fish That Saved Iceland,” “Nordic Open Sandwiches,” “The Joy of Berries,” and “The World of Nordic Meatballs.”  For my turn in the SALT Lab, I had the class titled “Understanding New Nordic Cuisine.”

The voyage SALT host was Canadian Eva Mulligan, an affable, approachable, and knowledgeable ambassador of the SALT program. She led the demonstrations and classes with ease.  In “Understanding New Nordic Cuisine” we created a scallop dish with blueberries, beetroot carpaccio, and a honey rhubarb dessert, which were all delicious. During the class she told us a little about the high-minded New Nordic Manifesto (traditional methods of preparing food using local, sustainable, Nordic ingredients), as she showed us how to prepare the dishes. Beyond our class and recipes, Chef Eva allowed us to forage in the Lab’s drawers for other SALT cuisine itineraries – Italian, Greek, etc. Her passion for food and non-fussy, yet delicious dishes was contagious. I left with a stack of recipes and a new appreciation for the Nordic culinary heritage.

In addition to the hands-on experience in the SALT Lab, I enjoyed dining in the SALT Kitchen. There was a standard menu in the SALT Kitchen and a new menu, as the ship’s itinerary continued. It didn’t change every day, but nearly every day there were new offerings, depending on the change in port. The SALT Kitchen was popular not only for the quality and unique offerings, but also because no reservations were required.  There is a relaxed dress code on formal nights, its aesthetic is light and bright, and it has the dependably good Silversea service found throughout the ship.

Next to SALT Kitchen and near the SALT Lab is the intimate SALT Bar. The lead bartender in the SALT Bar created some signature cocktails for Silver Moon, and he also introduced locally inspired cocktails as the cruise progressed. In Iceland he made cocktails with Icelandic vodka, and in Norway he introduced local herbs and fruit. My favorite cocktail was one called the Selena, which he topped with a smoke-filled bubble that added the wow-factor. My tip: get there when it opens for pre-dinner drinks, as it is a very popular spot on the ship, and it fills-up quickly.

The incorporation of SALT into the luxury experience of Silversea enhances the voyage. There is something about food and drink that pairs so well with an entire trip experience. To have a cruise line not only recognize this, but also bring it into practice, is clever, dynamic, and made me hungry for more Silversea SALT itineraries.