Grilled sardines with Essaouira salad

This is typical of the salad served on the quayside in Essaouira, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. It works really well with oily fish, like sardines or mackerel, as the acidity of the preserved lemon cuts the oiliness of the fish in a refreshingly tart way. You can buy preserved lemons in larger supermarkets. Ras el hanout is a rich and complex Moroccan spice mix that is slightly different wherever you buy it, but tends to feature ginger, cumin, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom