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Can Babies Eat Sashimi? How to Cook and Serve

Sashimi is thin-sliced raw fish, and raw fish is not safe for babies. It can carry parasites and bacteria a baby cannot fight off, and some is high in mercury. There is no cooked sashimi: to give your baby fish, cook it through instead.

⛔ Serious safety warning. Sashimi is raw fish, and raw fish is not safe for babies.¹ A baby's immune system cannot fight off the parasites (such as anisakis) and bacteria (such as Listeria and Salmonella) that raw fish can carry, and raw fish can also carry hepatitis A. Freezing kills parasites but not bacteria, so 'sushi-grade' sashimi is not safe either.² Some sashimi fish, like tuna, are also high in mercury. Never give a baby or toddler sashimi. To give your baby fish, cook it fully: choose a low-mercury fish like salmon or cod, cook until it flakes, check for bones, and serve it flaked small.

When to introduce: Not for babies; cooked fish from ~6 months instead
Common allergen?: Yes - fish
Texture: Never raw; serve fully cooked fish, flaked small
Key nutrients: Protein, omega-3s, B12, vitamin D (from cooked fish)

Sashimi is thin slices of raw fish, served on its own without rice. Unlike a sushi roll, there is no cooked version of sashimi: the whole idea is that the fish is raw, and raw fish is not safe for babies. A baby's immune system is not ready to handle the bacteria and parasites raw fish can carry, and some sashimi fish are high in mercury. The safe way to give your baby fish is to cook it fully, which of course means it is no longer sashimi. This is a food to understand and wait on, not to serve in its raw form.

Prep School: how to prepare sashimi for baby-led weaning (BLW) and purées

Under 12 monthsSkip sashimi and all raw fish. To give your baby fish, serve fully cooked, deboned, low-mercury fish like salmon or cod, flaked or mashed, from around 6 months.

12 months+Still no raw fish. Keep offering fully cooked, low-mercury fish, cut or flaked to a safe size.

Around age 5+Pediatric guidance commonly suggests waiting until about age 5, and after the hepatitis A vaccine, before trying raw fish. Even then, choose low-mercury fish that has been properly frozen, from a source you trust.

Is sashimi safe? Choking & prep

The one rule that matters: no raw fish for babies. Raw fish, including all sashimi, can carry parasites (such as anisakis worms) and bacteria like Listeria and Salmonella, and it can also carry viruses such as hepatitis A. A baby's immune system cannot fight these off the way an older child's can.¹ Freezing raw fish kills parasites but not bacteria, so even 'sushi-grade' sashimi is not safe for a baby, and the FDA advises that young children eat fish only when it is fully cooked.² On top of the infection risk, some popular sashimi fish, especially tuna, are high in mercury, which is a further reason to avoid them. Pediatric guidance commonly suggests waiting until around age 5, once a child has had the hepatitis A vaccine series and has a more developed immune system, before offering raw fish.¹ Until then, if you want to give your baby fish, cook it fully. Fish is a common allergen, so introduce cooked fish the way you would any new allergen.

Nutrition

Fish is a genuinely good food for babies: it provides protein, omega-3 fats that support brain and eye development, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. The catch is that a baby gets all of those benefits from fully cooked fish, without the infection risk that comes with eating it raw. So the nutrition is not a reason to serve sashimi. Choose a low-mercury fish like salmon or cod, cook it until it flakes, and your baby gets the same nutrients safely.

Goes well with

Cooked salmon · Steamed rice · Avocado · Cucumber · Edamame (mashed)

Storage & freezing

Raw fish is highly perishable and is an adult food, not a baby food, so keep it refrigerated and tightly sealed and do not save it for your baby. For fish you cook for your baby, refrigerate leftovers promptly and use cooked fish within a day, or freeze in small portions. When in doubt about freshness, throw it out.

More proteins to explore

🍖

SausageBest limited; toddlers with care

🦪

ScallopsAround 9 months, once baby is established on solids

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Scarlet runner bean6 months+

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Sea breamAround 6 months

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Seitan (wheat gluten)Around 6 months

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ShakshukaAround 6 months

Introducing this allergen

Common questions

Can babies eat sashimi?

No. Sashimi is raw fish, and raw fish is not safe for babies. It can carry parasites and bacteria a baby's immune system cannot handle, and some is high in mercury. Give your baby fully cooked fish instead.

When can a child eat sashimi or raw fish?

Pediatric guidance commonly suggests waiting until around age 5, once a child has had the hepatitis A vaccine and has a stronger immune system. Some families wait even longer. It is never something for babies or toddlers.

Is 'sushi-grade' or frozen sashimi safe for a baby?

No. Freezing kills parasites but not bacteria, so 'sushi-grade' raw fish is still not safe for a baby. Cooking is the only way to make fish safe for a young child.

What about mercury in sashimi?

Some sashimi fish, especially tuna, are high in mercury, which is a reason to avoid them for young children. When you serve fish, choose low-mercury types like salmon or cod, fully cooked.

How do I give my baby fish safely?

Choose a low-mercury fish like salmon or cod, cook it until it flakes and is opaque throughout, check carefully for bones, and flake it small. You can start from around 6 months, introducing it like any new allergen.

Sources

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Last updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.

This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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