In the Moroccan town of Essaouira, restaurants are all about the freshest seasonal produce, the finest blends of spices, and time-honoured preparation methods. South African chef Jenny Morris, who makes her debut on Food Network on DStv this month, invited me along on a Moroccan culinary mini-adventure.

My first taste of the country is in one of the tiny villages on the way from Casablanca to the coastal town of Essaouira. It’s market day and it’s bustling: donkey carts make their way through the narrow alleys and villagers chat noisily, their colourful winter tunics causing them to resemble Star Wars characters.

We buy lunch from one of the street barrows. Plump bread – still warm – is coated in crunchy semolina, and bright oranges are juicy and sweet. It’s a welcome impromptu picnic.

I’m heading to Essaouira to catch up with Jenny as she films her first cooking series for the network. Not only is this Unesco World Heritage Site known for its abundant seafood, but it is also home to the unique argan oil, a distinctive cooking ingredient.

Our first stop is at the fish stalls alongside the harbour. The wares are vibrantly displayed and range from massive red crabs, squid, lobsters and sea urchins to a wide variety of fish, such as sea bass, sardines and red tuna. Buy your fish directly from the fishermen and ask one of the stall owners to cook it for you on the coals. (Just make sure they don’t swop it for a less fresh option when your eye wanders!)

We walk into the main part of the town, which is a lively medina of winding, narrow roads and Arabian turrets that date back to the 18th century. The heart of the city’s cuisine can be found here, and there are dozens of restaurants offering just about any style of food. We head to one of the hidden gems in the labyrinth of streets.

After Five Lounge is a cosy, intimate establishment that specialises in French Moroccan cooking. It has oversized lightshades, bricked archways and long benches running alongside each wall, covered in purple cushions. I eat my first authentic seafood tagine here, served in a rustic, terracotta bowl with flatbread. The tagine is flavoursome and delicious; the prawns, mussels and fish perfectly seasoned and sea-smackingly fresh.

Later on, I join Jenny and her film crew for dinner at one of her favourites, the gourmet restaurant at the L’Heure Bleue Palais. (Jimi Hendrix is reported to have stayed at this Relais & Chateaux hotel.) The elegant restaurant, to one side of an open courtyard, is opulently decorated with warm wooden panelling, and rich, red velvet cushioning. The chef has made the most of the winter seasonal produce, the starter being a Moroccan salad of smoked aubergine, long slivers of artichoke, spicy red peppers and aromatic roasted chickpeas.

A traditional lamb tagine follows, beautifully presented on a bed of couscous. The spice mix used is ras el hanout, a secret blend that differs depending on where you buy it. There’s a slightly nutty, distinctive taste to the lamb, and I’m told it is due to the special argan oil endemic to this area.

The next day I discover that it’s the informal eating experiences that resonate here: date ice cream from street vendors, made-on-the-spot crepes smothered in Nutella, and freshly squeezed orange, lemon and pimento juice at the harbour.

It’s trendy to visit Essaouira to attend a cooking school, but there’s a wide selection of both good and bad. Some, like L’Atelier Madada, where Jenny filmed some of her cooking segments, are brilliant, and you can get a wonderful insight into how Essaouira locals cook. Don’t leave without investing in a proper terracotta cooking tagine (the coloured porcelain ones are purely decorative), ras el hanout spice and, of course, argan oil.

My final Moroccan eating experience is at a filling station café on the way to the airport. The locals are tucking into thick, warm flatbreads smothered in Nutella, and I opt for the same, the chocolaty goodness oozing onto my fingers.

There’s nothing quite like a good dollop of the food of the gods to end a gourmet holiday.

Catch Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco on the Food Network, starting 16 July 2012 at 8:10pm. In the meantime, try this spicy Moroccan rice pudding featured on one of the episodes.  

By Sandy Welch
Photographs: Food Network