Sardine

What it is

The sardine (Sardina pilchardus) is the most important fish stock off Morocco’s Atlantic coast, whose waters are shaped by strong upwelling currents.¹ Today it makes up around 64 per cent of all catches; it is caught mainly by the coastal fleet of purse seiners, the country’s largest fleet in terms of vessels and jobs.² Since 2008 a dedicated management plan has applied to small pelagic fish, above all the sardine.³

Where it comes from

At the end of the 1960s more than nine tenths of all sardines were landed in Safi, Agadir and Essaouira.⁴ Safi is still the country’s largest producer of canned sardines, with almost 90,000 tonnes a year and around half of the national market.⁵ The industry sustains the economy of the coastal cities of Agadir, Essaouira, Safi and Laayoune.⁶

History

Fish was already processed on this coast in antiquity: Lixus near Larache was a centre of fish salting from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD, and some of its works specialised in sardines.⁷ Garum, a fermented fish sauce, and salted fish went from there as far as the Iberian Peninsula and Pompeii.⁸ Recipes for sardines and other fish already appear in cookbooks from the time of the Almohads and the Marinids.⁹

From 1963 to 1968 sardines made up 70 to 85 per cent of the weight of all landings; the record year was 1966, with 251,876 tonnes.¹⁰ In 1968 the country had 75 canneries, 38 of them in Safi, 18 in Agadir and 7 in Essaouira.¹¹ In the mid-1970s Safi alone had about 75 canneries; in 2022 there were 19 there, which are more modern and process considerably more.¹²

What it is made of

Sardines often come with chermoula, a seasoning paste of spices, garlic, plenty of coriander and parsley, olive oil and sometimes lemon.¹³ A 13th-century cookbook pours over fried fish a sauce of oil, vinegar, a little murri, a fermented seasoning sauce, and cumin.¹⁴

How it is made

Canning is the main way sardines are processed; they are also sold frozen or fresh.¹⁵ In Safi the sardines for the tin are prepared skinless and boneless entirely by hand, a skill associated with the city’s women workers.¹⁶ Canned fish from Safi goes to more than 100 countries.¹⁷

When

During Ramadan in Morocco a fish dish rounds off the breaking of the fast, and the sardine is the fish on which almost everyone agrees.¹⁸ Most often it is opened out, laid flat one on top of another and fried, as sardine charka; it can also be baked or grilled.¹⁹