Saturday, January 14, 2012

Hungry in Essaouira



There are few things I love more than seafood. If it were more affordable, I swear I'd eat it every day.

However, while in Essaouira it can be very affordable and it is out of this world delicious. The crab, the shrimp, the million and one different kids of fish. Divine. All of them.

Let me tell you a secret. One of the major factors in deciding to marry my husband was after I noted how well he knew his way around fresh crab. He knows the man who sold it, so he could get it for insanely low prices. (He called him "The Crab Man". No, he doesn't get points for creativity, but we'll forgive him for that.) He also knows EXACTLY how to cook crab to extreme perfection. He even adds a crazy looking bouquet of dried flowery herbs to the pot making the meat so delicious that it makes butter, lemon, garlic or any of the other things typically used on crab entirely useless. But I digress...

If you ever visit Essaouira, be sure to enjoy some seafood. You won't be sorry. The cute little fish grills near the beach and port are pretty good. But if you REALLY want something incredible, go into the medina to the fish market. Buy yourself a few things, then take it to one of the (scary looking) "BYOF" (Bring Your Own Fish) restaurants adjacent to the market. There they'll grill it for you and bring you salad, bread and the soft drink of your choice. Pure bliss.

For more about seafood in Essaouira. Check out this blog post/photo essay. It's definitely worth a look!

xo, j~

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Yes, it's winter in Morocco, too!



When some people think of Morocco, they think of hot, dry weather all year round. However, that's not the case. It gets pretty cool there in the winter time! Especially at night. And many homes and guesthouses have no heat in them.

My first trip to Morocco was in December 2002-January 2003. During the day I remember temperatures of 16-20 degrees C. (Agadir was a treat, as it was a bit warmer there.) At night it could drop below 10 degrees, however, and I remember wearing light gloves, a scarf and a jacket when out in the evenings. And I'd definitely be very chilly sliding into bed at night.

But even on the coolest days in Morocco, you will always see hints of the warm (and even the HOT) days to come. Oranges in the trees, brave souls willing to kick off their shoes and get their feet wet walking along the shore.

And I'm so pleased to have discovered this lovely blog post of a little bit of summer one riad owner in Marrakech found in Essaouira recently.

I know that stall. And that beautiful cerulean door with the bouquets of fresh herbs wired on. I know that warm sunny days are never far away in Morocco.