Seafood Dinner menu
Moroccan Seafood Dinner Menu — Coastal Flavours of the Atlantic
Morocco's long Atlantic coast, from Essaouira to Agadir, lands some of the freshest fish anywhere, and the coastal kitchens dress it with chermoula, preserved lemon and plenty of coriander. This seafood dinner for six brings those flavours home: chermoula-grilled fish, a crisp seafood pastilla, a monkfish tagine with tomatoes and peppers, saffron rice and a bright citrus dessert. It is lighter than a meat feast but no less generous, all sea-fresh flavour and fragrant herbs. Source the freshest fish you can and let the chermoula do the rest. Fresh, coastal and full of the Atlantic. Aromatic and clean-tasting.
The menu
Starter
Chermoula-grilled sardines or prawns
Fresh sardines or prawns marinated in herby chermoula and grilled hot — the classic coastal opener, eaten with lemon and bread.
Show-stopper
Seafood pastilla
A crisp warqa pie of prawns, white fish and vermicelli, spiced with coriander and chilli. A savoury seafood take on the famous pie.
Centrepiece
Monkfish tagine with tomato and peppers
Firm white fish laid over a bed of potato, tomato and pepper with chermoula and preserved lemon — the great Moroccan fish tagine.
Grain
Saffron and herb rice
Fragrant saffron rice with herbs and toasted almonds, a lighter partner to seafood than couscous and a natural match for the tagine sauce.
Salad
Orange, fennel and olive salad
A crisp, citrusy salad to cut through the seafood — sliced orange, shaved fennel and olives with a cumin dressing.
Dessert
Citrus and mint salad with orange-blossom
A clean, refreshing mix of oranges and grapefruit with mint and orange-blossom to finish a seafood dinner lightly.
Shopping list
- Fresh sardines or prawns (for the starter)
- Prawns and white fish plus warqa pastry (for the pastilla)
- Monkfish or other firm white fish (for the tagine)
- Potatoes, tomatoes and green peppers
- Big bunches of coriander and parsley (for chermoula)
- Garlic, cumin, paprika, chilli and saffron
- Preserved lemon, green olives and lemons
- Rice and flaked almonds
- Oranges, grapefruit and fennel
- Orange-blossom water, bread and good olive oil
Prep timeline
-
Day before
Make a big batch of chermoula for the fish, tagine and pastilla. Assemble the seafood pastilla up to baking and refrigerate.
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Morning
Marinate the sardines or prawns and the monkfish in chermoula. Slice the oranges and fennel for the salads and keep cold.
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1 hour before
Build the fish tagine on its bed of potato, tomato and pepper, ready to cook gently — fish tagines cook quickly.
-
30 minutes before
Bake the seafood pastilla until golden. Cook the saffron rice. Grill the sardines or prawns just before serving.
-
To serve
Bring the fish tagine gently to the table, plate the pastilla, dress the fennel and citrus salads, and finish with the citrus dessert.
Host's tips
- Buy the freshest fish you can and let chermoula — coriander, garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon — carry the flavour.
- Fish tagines cook fast; add the fish only for the last part so it stays just cooked and tender, never dry.
- Do not over-marinate seafood in acidic chermoula, or the lemon will start to 'cook' and toughen it — an hour or two is plenty.
- Serve saffron rice rather than couscous with seafood; it is lighter and soaks up the fish tagine sauce beautifully.
- Keep the dessert citrus-fresh and light — a seafood dinner wants a clean, refreshing finish.
Questions about this menu
What is chermoula and why is it used with fish?
Chermoula is a Moroccan herb marinade of coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon and oil. It is the backbone of Moroccan seafood cooking, its fresh, garlicky, citrus character perfectly complementing fish. Fish is marinated in it before grilling or baking, and it also flavours fish tagines, giving the coast's seafood its distinctive fragrant, herby taste.
How do I make a Moroccan fish tagine?
Lay firm white fish such as monkfish over a bed of sliced potato, tomato and pepper, spoon over chermoula and preserved lemon, and cook gently with a lid until just done. The vegetables cook first and the fish is added towards the end so it stays tender. The result is fragrant, saucy and coastal.
What fish works best in Moroccan seafood dishes?
Firm white fish like monkfish, hake, sea bream or cod hold up well in tagines and pastilla, while oily sardines are ideal grilled with chermoula. Prawns and squid feature widely too. Choose whatever is freshest on the day; Morocco's Atlantic coast prizes freshness above a specific species, and the chermoula suits most fish.
Should I serve couscous or rice with seafood?
Rice, generally. While couscous suits meat feasts, a lighter saffron and herb rice is the more natural partner to seafood, soaking up the fragrant fish-tagine sauce without overwhelming the delicate flavours. It also cooks quickly, matching the shorter cooking times of fish. Plenty of bread for the chermoula juices is welcome too.
How do I avoid overcooking the fish?
Add fish late and watch it closely — it cooks far faster than meat. In a tagine, let the vegetable base cook through first, then lay the fish on top for only the final several minutes until just opaque. When grilling, keep it quick and hot. Fish is best pulled the moment it flakes, never left to dry.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.