Enjoy a unique seafood experience in Essaouira, Morocco

A visit to the port city of Essaouira, Morocco is not complete without a freshly prepared seafood meal at a local grill. Check out the colourful fishing boats as the pull in the daily catch, head through the alleyways to the local seafood market to select your favourites then walk deeper into the maze of alleys with your fresh seafood to a find a grill where you can have your meal cooked and served family style. It’s a delicious, relaxing way to cap off a day in Essaouira.

A colourful plate of cooked shrimp with shells and tails and sprinkling of green herbs sitting on a table.

The port city of Essaouira, Morocco

Essaouira is a port city in western Morocco on the Atlantic coast. With a laid-back atmosphere, you can spend a relaxing day strolling the beaches, visiting local art galleries, and browsing through the local shops to take in the culture of Essaouira, then end the day with a fresh seafood meal.

Outside the stone walls of Essaouria, Morocco. A blue buggy pulled by a horse is facing away and two cars are facing foward.

I spent a few days in Essaouira while on a small group tour, and one of the highlights was a simple and delicious seafood lunch. From fishing boat to your plate, you can follow all of the steps of your food in just a matter of hours!

The fishing boats and docks

The fishing port is a serious commercial operation where you can watch the workers pull in their fresh daily catch of assorted seafood early in the morning.

The water filled with colourful fishing boats of all sizes at the port in Essaouira, Morocco.

As you stroll along the docks you’ll see all sizes of colourful boats, including traditional wooden boats, docked or in the water, plus seagulls and cats all vying for some of the catch.

Two blue wooden fishing boats docked. In the background is the stone walls of Essaouira, Morocco and many seagulls flying in the sky.

If you plan to wander close to the boats be sure to wear covered shoes with good traction because it will probably be wet, muddy, and maybe even a bit fishy underfoot. If you get there early enough you may even see the workers unload the boats and watch the auction as they sell the daily catch.

The fishing boats and nets port in Essaouira, Morocco. Bundles of fishing nets in the foreground, blue small wooden fishing boats and larger colourful fishing vessels in the background.

I recommend taking the time to stroll through and maybe even meet some of the folks after a morning of fishing. Just remember that they are working and may or may not have the time to indulge in a lengthy conversation.

If the smell of the ocean and fresh fish isn’t to your liking, maybe skip the docks and stick closer to the food stalls where you can sample some street food, freshly squeezed juice and snacks.

Blue and white fruit stalls at the port in Essaouria, Morocco. A few people are at the stalls, a bicycle is leaning against blue barricades and large green trees in the background.

The seafood market

An alleyway in Essaouira, Morocco. A bicycle leans against one wall.

Continue your exploration through the narrow alleyways to get to the seafood market.

The outside of the open air fish market in Essaouira, Morocco. People are milling around outside the archways, bikes are parked around and two cats are laying inthe sun on the brick ground.

As you get closer to the market your nose will let you know! The Essaouira seafood market is quite a sensory experience – lots of people and cats, the smell of fresh seafood, it’s a bit wet everywhere and as you go from stall to stall you’ll see fish being cleaned and prepped for sale.

A man in a bright yellow apron and blue baseball style hat cleaning squid on a wooden block on a table of fresh fish in the fish market in Essaouira, Morocco.

A wooden crate of freshly caught shrimp at the fish market in Essaouira, Morocco.

Two people in aprons (one purple and one light green) are filleting fresh fish on a stone wall at the fish market in Essaouira, Morocco.

Walk through the market to see what’s available that day and then select some freshly caught fish or seafood to be the centrepiece of your meal. You’ll get your choices in plastic bags that you can take to a local grill to be cooked for you.

The restaurants

This is where you may need some guidance. Talk to your hotel or a local guide to get a restaurant or grill recommendation for authentic Essaouira cuisine. They can be a bit tough to find if you don’t know where to go and what to look for. If I wasn’t with our local guide I’m not sure I would have figured out by the pictures on the sandwich board sign that it was my destination.

The arched doorway of a restaurant in Essaouira, Morocco. A sandwich board sign with a picture of a tagine and grilling fish sits outside the doorway.

All you need to do is take your bags of ready-to-cook seafood to one of the restaurants, select how you want it cooked, and then wait for your meal. It’s that simple. Language was a bit of a barrier and we weren’t sure how to ask for our food to be prepared so we just let the restaurant choose.

Our meal included fresh crusty bread, olives, and a chopped salad to start plus our seafood cooked to perfection in a variety of spices, all served family-style.

A white plate of chopped tomato and cucumber salad sits on a wooden table. Two small spoons sit on either side leaning upside down on the plate.

A brown tagine with cooked squid sits on a table with a partial view of a plate of chopped salad. Behind the tagine is hands holding a camera taking a photo.

The restaurant we went to was basic with simple wooden tables & chairs, and paper placemats for our food. The whole process was an experience that was definitely worth it, and a relaxing way to spend a day in Essaouira. From ocean to plate, the seafood is so fresh and delicious!