Salmon recipes for baby
Feeding time really starts to get fun when your precious bundle of joy starts moving off a liquid diet and starts exploring the world of real food. There are so many textures and flavors to explore and you get to lead that journey. Fish is often overlooked when it comes to baby food and that is a shame. Salmon is super rich in protein and healthy fats for a growing baby and there are some really great salmon recipes for baby that are easy for mom and dad to make or even share in as well.
When can baby have salmon
You can start testing out salmon after about 6 months of age when you are starting to introduce other pureed foods. Ultimately you will have to be the judge of when your baby is ready to give it a go and of course you can always talk to your pediatrician if you are really concerned about when is right for your baby to start eating salmon.
What salmon for baby food
All salmon will contain protein for your baby, but one of the other major things you will want is lots of omega-3 fatty acids that are good for brain and eye development. The other thing is what you don’t want and that is extra chemicals.
Right off the bat, if you are wanting the best salmon for your baby we can eliminate Atlantic salmon. All the salmon you will get in the store is farm raised, which comes with a whole host of problems. Primarily the issue is chemicals fed to the fish and a lack of good nutrients found in wild raised fish.
In my opinion, the best choices are wild Coho and King salmon. They have great flavor and lots of those fatty acids. If those flavors wind up being too strong for your kiddo, them try switching to a more mild flavored fish like Pink salmon.
How to cook salmon for baby
Realistically any cooking method you want can be used to cook salmon for baby food. That being said, it is probably best to start out with simple baked or even poached salmon to start with. My suggestion would be to look at our post on how to cook salmon in the oven, make yourself one of those dishes and then hold back a small portion for baby’s meals.
Processing and storing salmon baby food
Of all the things I say in this post, this is the most important. Once you have cooked your salmon up and are getting ready to turn it into food for baby, check it completely for bones. I suggest going through it with your fingers and breaking it all up. No one wants to have their precious bundle of joy choking on a piece of fish bone.
Once it has cooled slightly, you can incorporate it into whatever dish you are making. Salmon on its own doesn’t puree very well, so something like potatoes is a good carrier for it.
How you mash up your baby’s food is up to you. Back in the day I used an old school hand crank one, but now they have awesome ones that will steam your baby’s food and turn it into puree at the same time. Your options are pretty boundless. Here are a couple options off Amazon I found that look pretty cool and have good reviews
 | EVLA’s Baby Food Processor Blender Grinder Steamer Create fresh, healthy, homemade baby food with the touch of a button |  |
 | 8 in 1 Baby Food Maker Chopper Grinder 8 IN 1 Steam, Sterilize, Cook, Juice, Warm, Defrost, Puree and Chop. A 3 tier basket design allows you to cook 3 separate meals at once | |
 | Duo Meal Station Baby Food Maker 6-IN-1 DESIGN SAVES SPACE All-in-one design that cooks, blends, warms and defrosts your food | |
 | QOOC 4-in-1 Mini Baby Food Maker Innovative one-handed controls plus quiet motor, you won’t even need to put baby down to use this baby food maker. | |
I tend to scoff at the fancy units that do everything but considering that you can prep a good bit of food ahead and gently steam it to warm it back up for processing and meal time, they actually seem like a great idea.
Cooked salmon can be held in the fridge for a few days before use. One other important note is never to warm your salmon in the microwave. While you will get it hot, it will make it dry and taste horrible. If you aren’t using one of the fancy steamer units above, a good way to reheat a little salmon for your baby’s meal is to warm up the other foods, then add the salmon and let the residual heat bring it up to temperature.
If your long term plan includes freezing your salmon, check out our post on the best ways to freeze cooked salmon!
Some salmon recipes for baby
Here is a list of easy to make salmon recipes for babies that I think will make the both of you happy.
- Salmon and Potato Puree by BeaBa
- Salmon, Potatoes and Kale by DessertForTwo
- Salmon, pea & potato purée by BBCGoodFood
- Steamed salmon with spinach and potato by GoodtoKnow
- Veggie Salmon Mash by OneHandedCooks
- Salmon and sweet potato puree by MummyCooks
