Monkfish
Firm, mild white fish. Flaked small or mashed, and served now and then.
Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review
Quick answer
Babies can eat monkfish from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.
How to serve monkfish by age
6 months+
Mashed flakes or fish cakes
Bake or poach monkfish until it is opaque and flakes easily (145°F / 63°C), remove every bone and any skin, then flake it small and mash it into mashed potato or vegetables, or shape the mix into finger-sized fish cakes.
- Size
- Flakes mashed into a soft food, or fish cakes shaped like a finger, about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
- Check before serving
- Run your fingers through every flake to feel for bones. Monkfish is firmer than cod, so squash a piece between your thumb and finger: it should flatten easily. If it doesn't, flake it smaller or mash it in.
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 flakes
Offer small, boneless, fully cooked flakes for pincer-grasp practice, or stir into pasta or mashed vegetables.
- Size
- Flakes no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
- Check before serving
- Feel every flake for bones, and check that each piece squashes easily.
12 months+
Pieces or in family meals
Serve small pieces, fish cakes, or monkfish in family dishes such as a fish stew or curry, with your child's portion taken out before salt goes in. Always cook it fully.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or fish cakes.
- Check before serving
- Feel every piece for bones before you mix it into a dish or shape it into cakes.
18 months+
Pieces in family meals
Serve monkfish in stews, pasta or soft tacos, baked or poached rather than fried. Cut firm chunks small, and keep checking for bones in mixed dishes.
- Size
- Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).
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 monkfish
- 1
Buy monkfish from a cold counter or the freezer, and get it into the fridge quickly.
- 2
Use boneless fillets, or ask the fish counter to fillet it for you, and take off any skin.
- 3
Bake the fillet at 200°C (390°F) for about 10 to 15 minutes, or poach it, until it's opaque and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Don't add salt.
- 4
Let it cool, then pull it apart with your fingers, feeling every flake for bones. Mash flakes into a soft food, or mix with mashed potato and shape into finger-sized cakes.
- 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
For the first taste, offer a small amount: a few flakes or one small fish cake. Monkfish is on the FDA's 'Good choices' list, which has more mercury than its 'Best choices'. For children, the FDA's advice is 2 servings of fish a week from the 'Best choices' list (about 1 oz, or 28 g, per serving at ages 1 to 3). It gives no 'Good choices' amount for children: its '1 serving and no other fish that week' rule is for adults who are pregnant or breastfeeding. So use 'Best choices' for your baby's usual fish meals. Our suggestion is to serve monkfish only now and then. Your baby decides how much to eat.
Common mistakes
Making it the everyday fish
Monkfish is a 'Good choice' on the FDA list, not a 'Best choice', and the FDA's advice for children is to choose fish from the 'Best choices' list. For most meals, pick low-mercury fish such as salmon, cod, pollock or trout. Our suggestion is to keep monkfish as an occasional meal.
Serving big firm chunks
Monkfish is firmer than cod or salmon. Flake it and mash it into a soft food at 6 months, and keep pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) from 9 months.
Undercooking it
Cook it to 145°F (63°C), until it's opaque and flakes easily. Never offer raw fish such as sushi, crudo or ceviche.
Missing bones
Monkfish tails and fillets can still hold bones. Feel every flake with your fingers, even in fillets sold as boneless.
Where US and UK guidance differ on monkfish
United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting
Monkfish is on the FDA's 'Good choices' list, with more mercury than 'Best choices'. For children, the FDA suggests 2 servings a week from 'Best choices' (about 1 oz each at ages 1–3) and gives no 'Good choices' amount for children. Its '1 serving of a Good choice and no other fish that week' rule is for pregnancy and breastfeeding, so our suggestion is to treat monkfish as an occasional fish for your child.
United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting
The NHS doesn't single out monkfish. Children under 16 shouldn't have shark, swordfish or marlin. The NHS weekly limits are for oily fish, and monkfish isn't on its oily fish list. Baked, steamed or grilled fish is a healthier choice than fried.
We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.
Questions parents ask
Can monkfish be a choking hazard for babies?
Cooked, flaked monkfish is a low choking risk, but the CDC lists bones in fish as a choking hazard, and the NHS says to remove bones from fish for babies. Its flesh is firm, so flake it small or mash it for babies, and check every flake with your fingers before serving. Always cook monkfish fully, and never offer raw or undercooked fish.
Can babies be allergic to monkfish?
Fish is a common allergen. Introduce it on its own first, in a small amount, and watch for signs of a reaction. If your baby reacts to monkfish, talk to your pediatrician before offering other fish: people allergic to one type of fish often react to other types (NHS).
Is monkfish healthy for babies?
A lean source of protein and selenium: FoodData Central lists about 19 g of protein and 47 µg of selenium per 100 g of cooked monkfish, with little fat (about 2 g). It is not a major source of iron (about 0.4 mg per 100 g).
Can babies eat monkfish?
Yes, from around 6 months, cooked until opaque and flaky, with every bone removed and the firm flesh flaked small or mashed. It's on the FDA's 'Good choices' list, so our suggestion is to serve it now and then rather than every week, and lean on 'Best choices' such as salmon, cod and pollock the rest of the time.
Is monkfish high in mercury?
It's in the middle. The FDA lists monkfish as a 'Good choice': higher in mercury than its 'Best choices', but not one of the fish to avoid. The FDA's 'Choices to avoid', which it says not to feed to children, are king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico and bigeye tuna. The NHS says children under 16 shouldn't have shark, swordfish or marlin.
Is monkfish the same as anglerfish?
Yes. The FDA's seafood list gives anglerfish and goosefish as common names for monkfish species. The FDA mercury chart lists it as monkfish, a 'Good choice'.
If your baby refuses monkfish
- Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
- Mix small flakes into foods your baby already likes, such as mashed potato or pasta.
- Try fish cakes: they're easier to hold than loose flakes.
- 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 monkfish
- Keep raw monkfish in the fridge and cook it within 2 days, or freeze it. Thaw frozen monkfish in the fridge overnight.
- Cooked monkfish keeps for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Fish cakes bound with potato only can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool 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 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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Helpful guides
Sources
- FDA: Advice about eating fish
- FDA: Questions and answers from the FDA/EPA advice about eating fish
- FDA: The Seafood List (Lophius)
- FDA: Selecting and serving fresh and frozen seafood safely
- NHS: Fish and shellfish
- NHS: Your baby's first solid foods
- CDC: Choking hazards
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, monkfish, cooked, dry heat
- ACAAI: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES)
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety
- NHS Best Start in Life: Storing and reheating food
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