Fish cakes
Flaked fish and mashed potato, shaped into soft fingers. An easy way to bring fish to the table.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat fish cakes from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve fish cakes by age
6 months+
Soft finger-shaped fish cakes
Make them at home: mix flaked, cooked, boneless low-mercury fish (cod, pollock, haddock or salmon) with mashed potato, shape into fingers, coat lightly in fine, plain breadcrumbs if you like, and bake until set. Bind with egg only once egg has been introduced on its own, or use potato alone. Offer them once your baby has had fish on its own, and wheat if you used breadcrumbs.
- Size
- Fingers about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Break one open and feel the fish for bones. The middle should be soft and set, with no wet mixture, and squash easily between your thumb and finger. Trim off any hard, crisp coating.
US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.
9 months+
Small soft pieces
Break fish cakes into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, with soft-cooked vegetables on the side.
- Size
- Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Feel every piece for bones. Each piece should squash easily.
12 months+
Fish cakes cut into pieces
Serve homemade fish cakes cut into pieces or strips. Shop-bought ones are salty, so keep them occasional, cook them exactly as the package says, and cut them up the same way.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or narrow strips.
- Check before serving
- Check for bones and hard, crunchy coating before serving.
18 months+
Family fish cakes, cut up
Offer fish cakes the way your family eats them, baked rather than fried, in strips or small pieces, with soft vegetables. Fish cakes made with smoked fish are saltier, so keep them for now and then. Keep checking for bones.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or narrow strips.
- Check before serving
- Still feel the fish for bones; they're easy to miss in a mixture.
Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.
How to prepare fish cakes
- 1
Wash your hands before and after handling raw fish, and keep it away from foods that won't be cooked. Thaw frozen fillets in the fridge overnight.
- 2
Bake or poach a skinless, boneless fillet until it's opaque, flakes easily and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Let it cool, then pull it apart with your fingers, feeling every flake for bones. Boneless, skinless canned salmon in water is an easy swap.
- 3
Mix the fish with plain mashed potato (and a little beaten egg, if your baby has had egg), with no salt. Shape it into fingers. If you coat them, check the breadcrumb label: choose one lower in salt, with no honey (not safe under 12 months).
- 4
Bake on a lightly oiled tray at 200°C (400°F) for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until golden and set all the way through. If you used egg, the center should reach 160°F (71°C). Let them cool and trim any crisp edges. Our homemade fish fingers recipe uses the same oven and coating.
- 5
First time? Pick a day your baby is well and at home, so you can stay nearby for several hours afterward. Fish can cause a delayed reaction: see when to call the doctor.
How much to offer
Start with one small fish cake finger. For ages 1 to 3, the FDA suggests a fish serving of about 1 oz (28 g), twice a week, from its 'Best choices' list, which includes cod, pollock, haddock and salmon. Your baby decides how much to eat.
Common mistakes
Sharing shop-bought fish cakes with a baby
Fish cakes have about 429 mg of sodium per 100 g, about 1.1 g of salt. The NHS says babies under 1 should have less than 1 g of salt a day, and children aged 1 to 3 no more than 2 g. Make your baby's fish cakes at home with no salt.
Missing bones
Fillets sold as boneless can still hide small bones, and the CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard. Feel every flake before you mix it, and again when you break a cake open.
Using smoked or salted fish
Smoked and salted fish are cured, and the NHS lists cured meats and fish among salty foods to eat less often. Use plain fresh or frozen fish, or canned fish in water rather than brine.
Undercooking frozen fish cakes
USDA FSIS warns that frozen foods with browned breading can look cooked when they aren't. Cook shop-bought fish cakes exactly as the package says, until steaming hot all the way through.
Where US and UK guidance differ on fish cakes
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Cod, pollock, haddock and salmon are on the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list. For ages 1–3, a serving is about 1 oz, twice a week. USDA FSIS says to cook fish to 145°F (63°C), and egg dishes to 160°F (71°C).
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS counts cod, haddock and pollock as white fish, and salmon as oily fish: boys can have up to 4 portions of oily fish a week, and girls no more than 2. Children under 16 shouldn't have shark, swordfish or marlin. Baked, steamed or grilled fish is a healthier choice than fried, and the NHS's own homemade fish finger recipe bakes the fish in an egg and breadcrumb coating.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can fish cakes be a choking hazard for babies?
Fish cakes are a low choking risk when they're soft and flaky inside, but bones and hard, crisp coating are hazards. The CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard. Check every flake for bones, trim crisp edges for young babies, and break cakes into small pieces from about 9 months. Stay with your child during meals.
Can babies be allergic to fish cakes?
Fish cakes usually contain three common allergens: fish, wheat (with gluten) in the breadcrumbs, and often egg to bind them. Introduce each on its own first, one at a time and in small amounts, and check labels on shop-bought fish cakes for other allergens, such as milk in the potato. People allergic to one type of fish often react to other types (NHS), so if your baby reacts, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish.
Are fish cakes healthy for babies?
Fish cakes have about 14 g of protein, 0.7 mg of iron and 429 mg of sodium (about 1.1 g of salt) per 100 g. Making them at home from plain fish and potato lets you leave out the salt.
Can babies eat fish cakes?
Yes, homemade ones from around 6 months, once your baby has had fish on its own (and wheat and egg, if you use them). Use a low-mercury fish, check for bones, bake until set, and trim crisp edges.
Which fish is best for fish cakes?
Fish from the FDA's low-mercury 'Best choices' list, such as cod, pollock, haddock, salmon or canned light tuna. Albacore (white) tuna is only a 'Good choice', so it isn't one of the FDA's picks for young children. Never use fish on the FDA's 'Choices to avoid' list: shark, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel, orange roughy, Gulf of Mexico tilefish and bigeye tuna. The NHS also says children under 16 shouldn't have shark, swordfish or marlin.
Can I use canned fish?
Yes. Canned fish is already cooked. Choose fish canned in water rather than brine (NHS), drain it, and pick boneless, skinless canned salmon to make bone checks easy.
If your baby refuses fish cakes
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Flake the fish into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato, rice or pasta.
- Try fish sticks: the same fish in a different shape.
- Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.
Buying and storing fish cakes
- Keep shop-bought fish cakes frozen or chilled, as the package says, until you cook them.
- Cooked fish cakes keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Homemade fish cakes can be frozen for 1 to 2 months if you used egg, or 3 to 4 months if they're bound with potato only (freeze them in a single layer first). Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool and check they're still soft before serving.
- Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).
When to talk to your doctor
Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:
- Your baby has had any reaction to fish, wheat or egg, even a mild one. Stop offering fish cakes until you've talked to your pediatrician.
- Your baby vomits a few hours after eating fish. This can be FPIES, a delayed type of food allergy that fish can trigger. If they vomited once or twice and seem alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. If they vomit again and again, or are pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, call your emergency number.
- You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
- You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.
Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.
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Recipes with fish cakes
Helpful guides
Sources
- FDA: Advice about eating fish
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS Healthier Families: Homemade fish fingers with sweet potato wedges
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- NHS: Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
- NHS: Salt in your diet
- CDC: Choking hazards
- USDA FSIS: Safe minimum internal temperature chart
- USDA FSIS: Preparing frozen food
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, cake or patty
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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