Casablanca seafood is Atlantic grill culture: poisson grillé by the kilo, chermoula, lemon, olives, and fries — not a generic international buffet with one salmon fillet. This guide is how to order on the corniche and in marina rooms without the tourist tax.
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The corniche order, in the order that matters
Walk the display before you sit if the room lets you. The fish should look wet, eyes clear, gills red. Point, ask the name, ask the kilo price, then say how you want it: grill, fry, or a tagine. Chermoula on the side is normal. A sweet sauce that covers the fish is a way to hide a dry fillet.
Sardines are the cheap test of a grill. They should be hot, blistered, and gone in a few minutes, with lemon and cumin. A whole pageot or dorade takes longer and should be the centre of the table, not a side to a pizza menu. Fries and olives come whether you ask or not. Bread is how you finish the chermoula.
The corniche wind is part of the meal. A terrace table in the late afternoon is pleasant and slow. A terrace table in a stiff Atlantic wind turns the fish cold before you are halfway through. If the awning is flapping, take the inside room and keep the same kitchen.
Marina restaurants a few minutes away often post the same fish at a higher rent. Compare the kilo price, not the view. The Casablanca listings show which rooms have enough reviews to trust on a Friday night.
If the sardines are gone, take a whole fish rather than a prawn platter that looks the same in every marina. Say the kilo price back to the server so you both heard it. Cold fries are normal. Cold fish is not.