Salmon During Pregnancy: How Much, How to Cook It, and Which Kinds

The short answer: Yes, you can eat salmon while pregnant when it is fully cooked. Salmon is on the FDA's Best Choices list for mercury, and FDA's pregnancy advice is 2 to 3 servings a week from that list, with one serving equal to 4 ounces. CDC lists salmon among fish low in mercury and advises cooking fish to 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.

Is salmon good for pregnancy?

Yes. FDA says fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help a baby's cognitive development. FDA lists the nutrients fish provide during pregnancy as omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), iron, iodine, and choline, plus protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium.

Salmon is one of the richer sources of two of those. The NIH omega-3 fact sheet lists 1.24 g DHA in 3 ounces of cooked farmed Atlantic salmon. The NIH vitamin D fact sheet lists 570 IU in 3 ounces of cooked sockeye salmon; the pregnancy RDA in the same fact sheet is 600 IU (15 mcg) a day.

How much salmon can I eat while pregnant?

FDA does not set a separate salmon limit. Its advice is 2 to 3 servings a week in total from a variety of Best Choices, with one serving equal to 4 ounces. The Dietary Guidelines figure FDA cites is 8 to 12 ounces a week of a variety of seafood lower in mercury for people who are pregnant. Two 4-ounce salmon fillets plus one serving of shrimp would make three servings for the week.

How should salmon be cooked when pregnant?

Cook it to 145°F, or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork, per CDC's pregnancy chart. FDA gives the same 145°F target for finfish. Baked, grilled, pan-seared, and poached salmon all work when the thickest part reaches that point. A fillet that is still translucent in the center is undercooked.

What kind of salmon can you eat while pregnant?

• Cooked fresh or frozen salmon: a safer choice once it reaches 145°F.
• Canned salmon: CDC lists canned fish and seafood as a safer choice.
• Smoked salmon and lox: CDC lists refrigerated smoked seafood, often labeled "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," or "smoked," as riskier unless it is in a cooked dish. Shelf-stable smoked salmon in a sealed package that does not need refrigeration before opening is a safer choice. See our smoked salmon guide.
• Raw salmon in sushi, sashimi, or poke: CDC lists raw or undercooked fish as riskier. Our sushi guide lists cooked rolls.

Is farmed or wild salmon better in pregnancy?

FDA's chart lists salmon as a Best Choice without separating farmed from wild, so either fits the 2-to-3-servings advice. NIH's omega-3 table lists similar DHA in 3 ounces of cooked farmed (1.24 g) and wild (1.22 g) Atlantic salmon, and notes that the omega-3 content of farmed fish depends on what they are fed.

Common questions

Can I eat salmon in the first trimester?

Yes. FDA's fish advice applies to the whole pregnancy and does not set different amounts by trimester. The cooking advice is the same throughout.

What if I ate undercooked or raw salmon?

Eating it once does not mean you have an infection. Tell your prenatal care team what you ate. The CDC says pregnant women should call the doctor right away if they have a fever and feel more tired and achy than usual.

How does salmon compare with other fish?

Compare cooked farmed Atlantic, sockeye, and canned pink salmon on PregNut, and see our lower-mercury fish guide for the rest of FDA's Best Choices.

Related: DHA without fish and vitamin D from food.

Sources: FDA advice about eating fish, CDC safer food choices for pregnant women, FDA meat, poultry and seafood for moms-to-be, NIH omega-3 fact sheet, NIH vitamin D fact sheet, and CDC food-poisoning symptoms. This guide is educational and does not replace prenatal care.