Spicara smaris, one of the picarels, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies.

It is a more slender fish than the closely related blotched picarel (Spicara maena) and can be distinguished from that species by having 75–81 scales along the lateral line rather than 68–70.

Its back is grey-brown and it has silvery flanks with a large black spot located above the tip of the pectoral fin.

[10] Recent observations have revealed that Spicara smaris can form massive breeding colonies covering extensive areas on the seabed, a behavior that is considered exceptional among marine fishes.

[14] In Greece and Cyprus, picarel, marida, is generally battered and fried, and eaten whole, including the head, tail, and bones.