Holland America Line: Global Fresh Fish Program

Rolling out across the entire HAL fleet, the first of its kind, this incredible culinary opportunity will now allow guests to dine on more than 80 varieties of fresh fish native to the destinations that the ships sail to. The icing on the cake for this port-to-plate network of locally sourced seafood is the participation of renowned Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who has been named the Global Fresh Fish Ambassador for HAL.

Morimoto brings his travel experience along with him on this new journey, his fusion style of cuisine very much influenced by travel. Beginning with restaurants in Hiroshima, he then became very established in New York, eventually being Head Chef at Nobu. TV opportunities like Iron Chef followed and the rest is history.

Chef Morimoto now has restaurants in various incarnations all over the world. And he now brings this gastronomic wisdom to HAL, with new dishes introduced into the dining rooms, plus fun pop-up restaurants on board as well. Some include his specialties of course, but other new dishes have been created specifically for this project: things like fresh halibut with a shrimp and scallop XO sauce, black cod with yogurt miso and kimchi eggplant, and spiced lobster tails with lemon foam.

Following the food stories of the places you sail to is close to the culinary heart of a HAL cruise. Shore excursions take you to food markets, off-the-beaten-path eateries, on food tours with local chefs or international celebrities, or behind the scenes into the kitchens whipping up traditional staples. All this knowledge is then brought back on board. With the Global Fresh Fish Program, this local sourcing becomes part of the regular routine – it is not just a fleeting gastronomic entertainment, but the new backbone of the seafood-sourcing plan.

If you’re traveling to the Caribbean, there will be plenty of mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna on the menu. In South America, you will enjoy Argentine seabass, bonito and Chilean salmon, while Australia comes through with barramundi and Tasmanian ocean trout. You will get your fill of perch, snapper and striped bass in Asia, then its on to Northern Europe, where Baltic Arctic char, Dover sole and Icelandic turbot are ready to tantalize. Your Mediterranean HAL experience will no doubt include European seabass, red mullet, sardines and swordfish. And of course, along with the fish, many other local ingredients make their way on board, too.

And when you return home, you can even order the same types of dishes you enjoyed on board, with dinner kits delivered right to your home. Recreate the feeling all over again yourself – yet another inspired partnership between HAL and Vital Choice.

In an age where sustainability has become not just an add-on but also an essential, it’s nice to know that somebody is watching out for the fruits of the ocean. The Holland America Line partnership with Chef Morimoto perfectly reflects the shared commitment to excellence the teams have. It’s a conservation purpose that “drives the boat” – one that we will surely see you on very soon.

Get in touch with your Tully Travel Designer to find out how you can experience the Global Fresh Fish Program right at the source.