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A stone path through wild grass leading down to the sea

The coast

Where it all begins.

Water, salt, wind and stone. The coast is the feeling under every plate at Sal Marinho, and the reason the kitchen is here.

Land, water, food

The coast is in everything.

Salt on the wind, coconut in the chutney, the sea at the end of the path. Not seafood: a feeling that finds its way onto every plate.

Along the shore

Five coasts, one table.

  1. Red laterite cliffs dropping into a rough sea at dusk

    01

    Konkan

    Cliffs and spice

    Red laterite cliffs, kokum and coconut, and a sea that is never quite still.

  2. Wooden outrigger boats pulled up on a beach at dusk

    02

    Goa

    Beaches and boats

    Boats pulled up on the sand at dusk, poi from the bakery, choris and vinegar.

  3. A canoe gliding through misty backwaters under coconut palms

    03

    Malabar

    Backwaters and harvest

    Backwaters, pepper vines and coconut groves along the old spice coast.

  4. Fishermen hauling nets beside log boats at dawn

    04

    Coromandel

    Fishing villages and roots

    Fishing villages, nets hauled at first light and long, flat shores facing the sunrise.

  5. An old laterite fort and lighthouse meeting the sea at sunset

    05

    Portuguese ports

    Forts and heritage

    Forts and lighthouses, lime-washed walls and the traces of an old ocean route.

Water, salt, wind, stone.

  • Wild grass on a cliff above the sea in low sun

    Wind

  • Coarse sea salt crystals on dark rock

    Salt

  • Crab traps stacked on black rocks as the sea breaks at first light

    Water

  • Fishing boats and stacked vessels in a harbour

    Harbour

  • A woman with a basket on her head walking down an old street

    Stone

  • Strings of garlic hanging against a blue wall

    Market

Something is growingA little Portuguese in the coast

Coming soon

The crab journey

Something is growing.

Our crab cultivation project is underway.

Soon, the journey from cultivation to kitchen will become part of the Sal Marinho experience.

Follow the six steps

From cultivation to the table.

  • Happening now
  • Coming soon

  1. 01

    Cultivate

    Where it begins

    Happening now

    A mud crab resting among palm fronds

    The crabs are sourced with care and brought to their new home: a row of boxes beside the restaurant.

  2. 02

    Grow

    One crab, one box

    Happening now

    In black and white: a man lifting a mud crab from one of the numbered crab boxes stacked along a wall beside the restaurant

    Each crab settles into a box of its own. It is slow, careful work, with a lot of attention to detail.

  3. 03

    Fatten

    Up to three months

    Happening now

    White bowls of cut fish, ready to feed the crabs

    We feed each crab the same fish for up to three months. That is what builds the meat inside the shell.

  4. We are here: the steps below are still to come.

  5. 04

    Harvest

    When it is ready

    Coming soon

    A gloved hand holding up a mud crab

    When a crab is full and heavy, it will be lifted from its box by hand, on the day it is cooked.

  6. 05

    Fire

    Coals, flame, clay and cast iron

    Coming soon

    A cook working at a grill through rising smoke

    Cooked the way you would like it. The chef will ask before the crab meets the fire.

  7. 06

    Table

    From the farm beside the restaurant

    Coming soon

    A cooked crab in a rich sauce on a white plate

    Choose your crab, tell us how you would like it, and it comes from the boxes outside straight to your table.

Beside the restaurant

A culinary experiment, a few steps from the kitchen.

In black and white: a glossy mud crab in a clean white tub, seen from above
In black and white: a man lifting a mud crab from the numbered crab boxes beside the restaurant
A mud crab resting on patterned tiles, in black and white

Field notes

From the journal.

In black and white: a man lifting a mud crab from one of the numbered crab boxes stacked along a wall beside the restaurant

Coming soon

Field notes: the boxes beside the restaurant

Our crab project lives a few steps from the kitchen, one crab to a box. How it works while it grows.

Read the story

A mud crab on dark slate scattered with coarse salt

Coming soon

Why crab tastes different when it's fattened

A freshly moulted crab is mostly water and promise. Patience is what turns it into something worth waiting for.

Read the story

Still mangrove water at dawn with roots reflected on the surface

Coming soon

The crab journey: coming soon

Something is growing. Our crab cultivation project is underway, and it is not on the menu yet.

Read the story

Until then,

come for breakfast.

What’s cooking?