When the Desarma restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2024, one comment from the inspectors that stood out to Chef Octávio Freitas concerned the ageing and drying of fish, and maritime sausages. This was the spark he had been waiting for to start developing the idea of maritime charcuterie, which has since become a hallmark of the restaurant.
Tuna, amberjack, wreckfish, freshwater trout, and swordfish are smoked, dried, cured, or turned into a variety of sausages, from hams to alheiras, linguiças, morcillas, chouriços, and others. These products are then incorporated into the restaurant’s various tasting menus.
The concept began as a way to make full use of the fish. “We started experimenting,” explains Octávio Freitas, holding a fish ham at a workbench filled with sausages. “We failed many times before we found solutions that worked.” For two years, the Desarma would close one day a week so the team could work on research and experimentation.
What began as an idea became a commitment, an experiment described as “pioneering in Portugal”. Today, it is a defining feature of a restaurant whose chef aims to tell “the story of Madeira through its ingredients and flavours”.
The fish is sourced locally. The techniques are ancestral. Some, like drying, are deeply rooted in Madeiran traditions. Others, related to sausage-making, draw inspiration from Portugal’s long-standing charcuterie heritage.
The Desarma’s kitchen even includes a dedicated section, complete with equipment, for maritime charcuterie. Pedro Pestana is responsible for executing the ideas. He is a chef who began his career in construction and started at The Views Baía hotel, where the restaurant is located, as a dishwasher, gradually working his way up.
Fish cuts are carefully selected. “They need to have a certain amount of fat,” explains Octávio Freitas. But the whole fish is used. For instance, the heads of wreckfish are used to make an alheira.
The result is a full-bodied aroma, salty and redolent of the sea, and an even more intense flavour. These sausages are served in various ways, for example, thinly sliced alongside bread made from local flours with natural fermentation and butter also made in-house.
At the Desarma, as in Nature, nothing is wasted. Everything is transformed.
The path is “to create a legacy rooted in Madeiran tradition,” declares the Michelin-Starred Chef. A tuna that tastes like espetada because it has been smoked with bay leaves is just one example of the potential of maritime charcuterie. There is much of Madeira in this approach, says Octávio Freitas. “I’m very proud of the island where I was born.”
Each bite is an explosion of flavour. And that extends beyond the maritime charcuterie to the rest of the menu. The cuisine of Octávio Freitas is in full evolution. It is Madeiran without being traditional. It is rich in local identity and, at the same time, surprising, delivering bursts of flavour with every mouthful.
There are details that stand out, such as fish cooked at precisely 47 degrees, or a crisp made from scarlet prawn heads. The guiding principle is to reduce waste and to uphold a strong commitment to sustainability, an increasingly valued practice.
This is the Michelin-star experience that the Desarma offers. Now in its second year of recognition in the red-covered guide, the restaurant continues to earn its place. Alongside its Munidos de Sentidos and A Batalha do Chef menus, it also offers a unique experience: The Chef’s Counter, which allows for interaction with the kitchen and a close-up view of the creative process.
All of this is complemented by a comprehensive wine cellar, featuring the world’s largest collection of fortified Madeira wines, and by attentive, exemplary service in a restaurant that boasts panoramic views over the city.