Salmon for Babies: How to Serve It at Every Age

• From around 6 months
• Common allergen (fish)
• Cook through, remove all bones

Salmon can be offered from around 6 months, cooked until opaque and flaking easily. It is an oily fish, rich in omega-3. Fish is a common allergen, so start with a small amount and watch for a reaction. Check carefully for bones every time.

📲 30 Bibful recipes with salmon

How to serve it by age

1. 6–8 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Offer long, soft strips of cooked salmon with the skin and all bones removed, about two adult fingers wide.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Flake cooked salmon and mash it into potato, sweet potato or vegetables.

3. 9–12 months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Break cooked salmon into small soft flakes your baby can pick up.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Stir flaked salmon into pasta, rice or a soft vegetable sauce.

5. 12+ months

   ✋ Finger food (BLW)

   Offer flakes or soft homemade fish cakes, and let your toddler practise with a fork.

   🥣 Purée or spoon

   Serve salmon as part of family pasta, rice or traybake meals.

Have salmon at home? See what you can cook

Add a second ingredient to see matching Bibful recipes.

✓ 🐟 Salmon+ 🥔 Potato+ 🥦 Broccoli+ 🍝 Pasta+ 🫛 Peas+ 🍠 Sweet Potato

30 Bibful recipes with salmon

• 
  Edamame, Avocado & Salmon Flatbread10 min · from 6 months
• 
  Salmon Pâté on Toast13 min · from 6 months
• 
  Salmon & Carrot Soup17 min · from 6 months

See the recipes in Bibful

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Preparation tips

• Check for bones every time. Run your fingers through the flakes; even fillets can hide small pin bones.
• Fresh or frozen, not smoked. Smoked salmon is high in salt; use plain cooked salmon for babies.
• Mind the oily fish limit. The NHS advises no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week for girls, and up to 4 for boys.

Frequently asked questions

When can babies eat salmon?

From around 6 months, well cooked, with the skin and all bones removed. Start with a small amount, as fish is a common allergen.

Can babies eat smoked salmon?

It's best avoided for babies, as smoked salmon is high in salt. Offer plain cooked salmon instead.

More first foods

• 🍎 Apple
• 🥑 Avocado
• 🍌 Banana
• 🥩 Beef
• 🫐 Blueberries
• 🍞 Bread
• 🥦 Broccoli
• 🎃 Butternut squash
• 🥕 Carrot
• 🍗 Chicken
• 🥚 Egg
• 🫛 Green beans
• 🫘 Lentils
• 🥣 Oats
• 🥜 Peanut
• 🍐 Pear
• 🍓 Strawberries
• 🍠 Sweet potato
• 🥛 Yogurt

This page is general information, not medical advice. It follows NHS Start for Life and World Health Organization guidance on introducing solid foods. Always stay with your baby while they eat, and speak to your health visitor or GP if you have concerns about feeding, allergies or choking.