What's the seafood like in Essaouira, and where to eat it?

Essaouira is the seafood town of Morocco, and eating fish here is one of those pure, joyful travel experiences I never tire of. This is a real working Atlantic fishing port — blue boats, screaming gulls, nets drying on the quay — so the fish doesn't get fresher. The classic, must-do ritual is the line of open-air grill stalls right at the port: you walk along, point at what you want from the glistening trays of the day's catch (sardines, sea bream, red mullet, calamari, prawns, sometimes spiny lobster and crab), it's weighed, grilled over charcoal in front of you with a little salt and cumin, and brought to a plastic table with bread, a wedge of lemon and a fiery tomato salad. It's smoky, salt-fresh and absurdly cheap.

I'll be honest with you about those port stalls, because it's worth knowing: they're brilliant but you must engage your wits. Agree the price per kilo before anything is cooked, watch your fish weighed, and be wary of extras appearing on the bill — a little firmness keeps it the bargain it should be. When it's done right (and it usually is), it's the best seafood meal of your trip for a fraction of restaurant prices. If the bustle isn't for you, the slightly more formal fish restaurants ringing the harbour and the port square offer the same catch with table service and a calmer mood.

Beyond the grill, Essaouira's kitchens do lovely things with the sea. Look for a proper fish tagine — often chunks of white fish cooked with tomato, preserved lemon, olives and chermoula, the herby marinade that's a coastal signature — and seafood versions of pastilla, the sweet-savoury pie reimagined with fish and shellfish instead of pigeon. Grilled whole sea bream or sole, simply done, is hard to beat. Inside the medina you'll find characterful little restaurants and rooftop terraces serving all of this, often with a view over the ramparts and the crashing Atlantic.

A couple of warm tips. Lunchtime is when the catch is freshest and the port stalls are at their best, so make seafood your midday feast rather than dinner if you can. Essaouira is windy and the light is gorgeous — eating fish on a terrace as the sea breeze comes in is part of the magic. And do try the sea urchins in season if you're adventurous, scooped straight from the shell at the port; they're a local delicacy. Pair it all with fresh bread and you'll understand why so many travellers fall hard for this little blue-and-white town.