Morocco is not a country you typically associate with seafood — the tagines and couscous tend to steal the spotlight. But along the Atlantic coast, from Tangier to Dakhla, there is an extraordinary fishing culture that produces some of the freshest, most affordable seafood in the Mediterranean world.
Essaouira: Grilled Sardines Straight Off the Boat
The port grills of Essaouira are legendary. Every morning, wooden blue-painted boats unload their catch directly onto the quay. By lunchtime, the row of open-air grills is blazing. You point at whatever fish catches your eye — sardines, sea bream, squid, prawns — and within minutes it arrives at your table with a squeeze of lemon, a pile of bread and a pot of harissa.
A full meal for two costs around 80–120 MAD (roughly €7–11). This is one of the great cheap eats of Morocco, and arguably of the entire world.
Agadir’s Harbour Restaurants
Agadir’s fishing port is less atmospheric than Essaouira’s, but the quality of the fish is equally high. The port-side restaurants serve whole sea bass, red mullet and sole, grilled over charcoal. Ask for chermoula — Morocco’s spiced herb marinade — on anything and everything.
Seafood Dishes to Try
Pastilla aux fruits de mer is the coastal answer to the Fassi pigeon pastilla — a crispy filo pie filled with prawns, squid and vermicelli in a lightly spiced cream sauce. Harira with fish appears in some coastal homes on Fridays. And don’t miss zaalouk — a smoky aubergine and tomato dip — as a starter wherever you eat.
