Salmon is one of the safest and most beneficial fish you can eat during pregnancy. The FDA places it in the “Best Choices” category for mercury safety, and both the FDA and EPA recommend that pregnant women eat 8 to 12 ounces of low-mercury seafood per week, which works out to two or three servings. Salmon fits squarely within that guidance, and most major health organizations actively encourage it.
Why Salmon Is Recommended During Pregnancy
The main reason salmon stands out is its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA. This fat is a building block of nervous tissue, making up as much as 35% of the fatty acids in certain brain cell membranes. Before birth, every bit of DHA a baby’s brain needs has to cross the placenta from the mother’s bloodstream, so maternal intake directly shapes fetal supply.
Animal studies show that low DHA during brain development leads to problems with neurotransmitter function, learning, and vision. Human intervention studies back this up: improving a mother’s DHA intake during pregnancy reduces the risk of poor visual and neural development in infants and young children. Western diets tend to be low in omega-3s overall, which makes eating fish like salmon one of the most practical ways to close that gap.
Salmon also delivers vitamin D and is recognized by ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) as a good dietary source of it. Vitamin D supports bone development in the fetus and helps maintain the mother’s immune and skeletal health.
How Much Salmon Is Safe Per Week
The FDA defines one serving for pregnant women as 4 ounces. At two to three servings per week, that gives you 8 to 12 ounces total. You don’t need to eat salmon exclusively; the recommendation is to choose a variety of fish from the “Best Choices” list, which includes options like sardines, tilapia, shrimp, and pollock alongside salmon.
Staying within the 12-ounce weekly limit keeps mercury exposure well below levels of concern. Salmon is naturally very low in mercury compared to fish like swordfish, shark, or king mackerel, which pregnant women should avoid entirely.
Farmed vs. Wild Salmon
Both farmed and wild salmon are safe during pregnancy. A 2024 study measuring heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead) across multiple salmonid species sold in supermarkets found low risk from both farmed and wild varieties. Out of 54 market samples, only one exceeded the legal limit for lead, and none exceeded limits for cadmium. A handful of samples came close to mercury thresholds, but the overall conclusion was reassuring.
Farming or catch location does influence contaminant levels to some degree, even at a local scale. If you have access to both types, rotating between farmed and wild is a reasonable approach, but neither one requires special caution.
Raw and Smoked Salmon: What to Avoid
The one real caution with salmon during pregnancy involves preparation. Raw salmon (sushi, sashimi, poke bowls) and cold-smoked salmon (lox, gravlax) have not been heated enough during production to kill Listeria, a bacterium that’s particularly dangerous in pregnancy. Listeria can cross the placenta and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe newborn infection, even when the mother’s own symptoms are mild.
Cold-smoked salmon is cured at low temperatures, typically below 80°F, which isn’t hot enough to destroy bacteria. If you want to eat cold-smoked salmon, cook it until it’s steaming hot all the way through first. Hot-smoked salmon, which is processed at higher temperatures, and canned salmon, which is heat-treated during production, are both safer options that don’t require additional cooking.
Safe Cooking Temperatures
The CDC recommends cooking salmon to an internal temperature of 145°F. At that point, the flesh will be opaque and flake apart easily with a fork. A simple instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of it. This temperature is sufficient to kill Listeria, Salmonella, and other common pathogens.
Baking, grilling, pan-searing, and poaching all work well. The cooking method doesn’t matter as long as the fish reaches 145°F at its thickest point. Avoid recipes that intentionally leave the center translucent or rare.
Canned Salmon as an Easy Alternative
Canned salmon is a convenient, shelf-stable option that counts toward your weekly servings. It’s already fully cooked during the canning process, so there’s no Listeria risk straight from the can. It also tends to be less expensive than fresh fillets while delivering comparable omega-3s. Most canned salmon is wild-caught Pacific salmon, which is among the lowest-mercury options available. You can use it in salads, patties, pasta, or grain bowls to hit your 8-to-12-ounce weekly target without much prep.
Fish to Limit or Avoid
While salmon gets a green light, not all seafood shares the same safety profile. The FDA advises pregnant women to completely avoid four high-mercury fish: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. Bigeye tuna also falls in the “avoid” category.
Fish on the “Good Choices” list, including albacore tuna, halibut, and mahi-mahi, are safe but should be limited to one serving (4 ounces) per week rather than two or three. Sticking primarily to “Best Choices” fish like salmon makes it easy to get the omega-3 benefits without overthinking mercury math.