First foods database
🐟 Coley for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat coley? Yes, from about 6 months. Coley is an affordable, sustainable white fish with a mild flavour that flakes easily. It provides protein, iodine and vitamin B12 and works in any recipe you would use cod for.
Good source of: Protein, Vitamin B12, Selenium, Iodine
How to serve coley by age
6 to 9 months
Bake, poach or steam until opaque and flaky. Flake, check for bones, then mash with potato, white sauce or vegetable purée, or offer soft flakes to pick up.
9 to 12 months
Offer flakes in pasta, rice, fish pie or soft fishcakes.
12 months and up
Serve in fish pies, mild curries or homemade fish fingers.
Choking safety
Check every piece for bones before serving, even in fillets labelled boneless. Cooked coley is soft and moist, so it is low risk. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and offer food with them sitting upright.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Fish is an allergen; introduce on its own first.
- Cook until opaque all the way through.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish
Easy ideas
- Coley fish pie
- Coley and sweet potato fishcakes
- Coley with peas and mash
Goes well with
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat coley?
Can babies eat coley? Yes, from about 6 months. Coley is an affordable, sustainable white fish with a mild flavour that flakes easily. It provides protein, iodine and vitamin B12 and works in any recipe you would use cod for.
Is coley good for babies?
Yes. It is mild, low in mercury, easy to flake and often cheaper than cod or haddock, so it is a great everyday fish.
Why does coley look grey?
Raw coley can look greyish, but it turns white when cooked. This is completely normal and does not affect flavour.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).