First foods database
🐟 Smoked salmon for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat smoked salmon? Yes, from about 6 months, but only in small, occasional amounts because smoked fish is salty. Fresh or tinned salmon is a better everyday choice for omega-3.
Good source of: Omega-3, Protein, Vitamin D
How to serve smoked salmon by age
6 to 9 months
Chop a small amount very finely and stir it into scrambled egg, cream cheese, mashed potato or pasta. Cooking it into a hot dish is a good option. Avoid offering whole slices, which are thin, slippery and stringy.
9 to 12 months
Use a little in omelettes, mini frittatas or spread mixed with cream cheese on toast fingers now and then.
12 months and up
Serve small pieces in bagels, pasta or on crackers occasionally, as part of a varied diet.
Choking safety
Thin slices of smoked salmon can be slippery and stick to the throat. Chop finely and mix into soft foods for babies and toddlers.
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
- Smoked fish is high in salt: keep it occasional.
- It counts towards the weekly oily fish limit.
- Fish is a common allergen.
Introducing it as an allergen
It contains fish, one of the 14 major allergens. How to introduce fish
Easy ideas
- Scrambled egg with smoked salmon flecks
- Smoked salmon cream cheese on toast
- Smoked salmon pasta
Goes well with
Weaning with OBubba
Log first foods in seconds. OBubba spots the allergens for you.
Track every food your baby has tried, see reactions over time, and let OBubba gently pace new allergens one at a time. Free to download.
Questions parents ask
Can babies eat smoked salmon?
Can babies eat smoked salmon? Yes, from about 6 months, but only in small, occasional amounts because smoked fish is salty. Fresh or tinned salmon is a better everyday choice for omega-3.
Can babies eat smoked salmon?
Yes, occasionally and in small amounts, because it is salty.
Is smoked salmon raw?
Cold-smoked salmon has not been heated through. Cooking it into a hot dish, such as scrambled egg or pasta, is an easy option for babies.
Sources
- NHS Start for Life: Weaning
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: How to stop a child from choking
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).