Essaouira Food Tour — Fish Grills, Medina Souks & Amlou

Essaouira's food is defined by two things: the Atlantic on one side and the argan forests on the other. This food tour weaves both together, moving from the fishing harbour and its legendary grills into the compact, walkable medina — a UNESCO-listed grid of whitewashed lanes far gentler to navigate than Fes or Marrakech.

The harbour is the classic first stop. At the row of blue-shuttered fish grills beside the port, you point at what the boats just landed — sardines, sea bream, prawns, squid — and it is grilled in front of you with nothing but salt and lemon. It is one of Morocco's great cheap seafood experiences, and your guide steers you to the honest grills and the fair prices.

Inside the medina, the tour takes in the spice and produce souks, the msemen and harcha griddles, and the local specialities: amlou, the ambrosial argan-oil, almond and honey spread eaten with bread, and the argan oil itself, produced only in this corner of the world. You taste olives, dates, and the town's Jewish-heritage sweets in the old mellah, and finish with mint tea looking out over the ramparts.

Because Essaouira is small, breezy and unhurried, the tour is as much a gentle stroll as a food crawl, suitable for all ages. Bring small cash for the harbour grills and the souk stalls, and let the Atlantic wind — the town is nicknamed "the windy city" — do its thing.