Ingredients & pantry
What fish and seafood do Moroccans eat?
- National favourite
- Sardines
- Common fish
- Whiting, sea bream, mackerel
- Shellfish
- Prawns, calamari, mussels
- Classic prep
- Chermoula-marinated, grilled or tagine
Quick answer
Morocco's Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines make fish central to the diet. Sardines are the national favourite — grilled, fried, or made into stuffed sardine 'sandwiches' and kefta. Other common catches include whiting, sea bream, sea bass, mackerel, anchovies, and conger eel, plus shellfish like prawns, calamari, mussels and clams. Fish is grilled, fried, baked in a chermoula-marinated tagine, or turned into pastilla. Coastal cities like Essaouira and Casablanca are the seafood heartlands, but Marrakech's markets get good fish too.
A country that eats from the sea
Morocco has a long Atlantic coast and a Mediterranean one, and fish is a serious part of the national diet — the country is one of the world's major sardine producers. Coastal cities like Essaouira, Casablanca, Agadir and the northern ports live and breathe seafood, with grills right by the harbour cooking the morning's catch. Even inland in Marrakech, fish arrives daily and features on menus and in the markets.
The undisputed star is the sardine: cheap, abundant, rich and flavourful. Moroccans grill them whole, fry them, and famously butterfly and sandwich two fillets around a chermoula stuffing to make stuffed sardines or shape the meat into sardine kefta. A plate of grilled sardines with bread and salad is a coastal staple.
Beyond sardines
The wider catch is broad. Whiting (merlan), sea bream, sea bass, mackerel, anchovies and conger eel all appear regularly, along with larger fish like swordfish and tuna. Shellfish and cephalopods are popular where fresh: prawns, calamari (squid), mussels, clams, and sea urchins in season. Fried fish stalls selling a mixed fry of small fish and squid are a coastal treat.
The signature cooking method is a chermoula marinade — coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon and oil — which suits fish perfectly, whether the fish is then grilled or baked into a fish tagine layered with tomato, pepper and potato. See what is chermoula?
Where and how to eat it
For the freshest seafood, the coast is unbeatable — Essaouira's port grills, where you pick your fish and have it cooked on the spot, are a highlight of any food trip. In Marrakech, fish tagines and fried fish are widely available, and the markets sell fresh fish daily. As with all fresh food, freshness and turnover matter, so choose busy places; see street food safety.
Fish also appears in the grand pastilla in a seafood version, and simply grilled fish makes a lighter alternative to meat tagines. For the meat side of the diet, see what meat Moroccans eat.
Related questions
What is the most popular fish in Morocco?
The sardine — cheap, abundant and rich. It's grilled, fried, and made into stuffed sardines and sardine kefta. Morocco is one of the world's largest sardine producers.
How is fish cooked in Morocco?
Often marinated in chermoula (coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon) then grilled or baked into a fish tagine with tomato, pepper and potato. Frying and simple grilling are common too.
Where is the best seafood in Morocco?
The coast — Essaouira, Casablanca, Agadir and the northern ports. Essaouira's harbour grills, where you choose your fish and have it cooked on the spot, are especially famous.
Can I get good fish in Marrakech even though it's inland?
Yes. Fish arrives daily and features in tagines and fried-fish dishes across the city, with fresh fish sold in the markets. Choose busy places for the best freshness.