First foods database
🐟 Mackerel for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat mackerel? Yes, from about 6 months. Mackerel is an oily fish full of omega-3 fats and vitamin D, both important for your baby's developing brain and bones. It is also soft and flakes easily once cooked.
Good source of: Omega-3, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Protein
How to serve mackerel by age
6 to 9 months
Cook fresh mackerel fillets through, check carefully for bones, then flake and mash with potato or blend into a sauce. Try it mixed into soft potato or rice.
9 to 12 months
Offer flaked mackerel in fishcakes, pasta or mashed onto toast fingers. Mackerel pâté homemade with cream cheese is fine for older babies.
12 months and up
Serve cooked mackerel in family meals. Smoked and tinned-in-brine mackerel are salty: choose fresh, or tinned in water or oil.
Choking safety
Mackerel has fine bones. Check every flake carefully with your fingers before serving. Remove the skin.
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
- Oily fish: up to 2 portions a week for girls and up to 4 for boys.
- Fish is a common allergen: introduce on its own first.
- Smoked mackerel is salty: occasional only.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish
Easy ideas
- Mackerel and potato fishcakes
- Flaked mackerel on toast
- Mackerel stirred into tomato pasta
Goes well with
Recipes with mackerel
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat mackerel?
Can babies eat mackerel? Yes, from about 6 months. Mackerel is an oily fish full of omega-3 fats and vitamin D, both important for your baby's developing brain and bones. It is also soft and flakes easily once cooked.
Can babies eat smoked mackerel?
It is high in salt, so only occasionally and in small amounts. Fresh mackerel is better. Hot-smoked mackerel is particularly salty.
Is mackerel high in mercury?
No, mackerel is a low-mercury fish. It is one of the oily fish recommended for babies.
Sources
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children
- BSACI: Early feeding guidance
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).