Soft fish tacos

Name: Soft fish tacos
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 adults and 1 baby
Ingredients: 300 g (10 oz) skinless cod or pollock fillets; 1 tsp olive or vegetable oil; 1 large ripe avocado; 6 small (about 15 cm / 6 in) soft flour tortillas

Warm, soft flour tortillas with mashed avocado and flakes of baked white fish, checked for every bone. Contains fish and wheat: offer them once your baby has had fish and wheat each on their own.

From: 6 months
Time: 30 min
Makes: 2 adults and 1 baby

Contains fishContains wheat

Ingredients

300 g (10 oz)skinless cod or pollock filletsthawed in the fridge if frozen
1 tspolive or vegetable oilfor the tray
1 largeripe avocadosoft enough to squash easily with a fork
6 small (about 15 cm / 6 in)soft flour tortillascompare labels and choose a lower-salt one

Steps

1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lay the fish on a lightly oiled, lined tray and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until it's opaque, flakes easily and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw fish.
2Let the fish cool, then pull it apart with your fingers, feeling every flake for bones. Remove any bones and skin you find. Don't add salt.
3Rinse the avocado under running water, cut it in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash it with a fork until smooth.
4Warm each tortilla in a dry pan for about 20 to 30 seconds on each side, until soft and pliable. Don't cook it crisp.
5Make your baby's taco first: spread a thin layer of avocado over a tortilla, scatter fish flakes over one half, fold it over and press gently. Let it cool until only just warm, then cut it into strips. Squash one between your thumb and finger: it should be soft and bendy, not crisp.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had fish and wheat each on their own without a reaction, offer one or two narrow taco strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in). You can also offer large soft fish flakes and mashed avocado on a pre-loaded spoon alongside.

9 months+

Cut the taco into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or offer small boneless fish flakes and soft tortilla pieces separately for pincer-grasp practice.

12 months+

Serve narrow taco strips or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with soft-cooked vegetables on the side. Keep checking the fish for bones; they're easy to miss in mixed dishes.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

For babies under 1, the AAP says that apart from mashed banana, most fruits should be cooked until soft. Its own homemade baby food ideas include blended avocado. If you follow US advice closely, use only fully ripe avocado that squashes easily and mash it well, or ask your pediatrician.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS lists grabbable bits of avocado among first finger foods from around 6 months. Use fully ripe avocado that squashes easily.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains fish, wheat. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

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.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Tacos are best put together and eaten fresh, because avocado turns brown and tortillas firm up. Keep leftover cooked fish in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for 3 to 4 months. Reheat the fish only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave tacos or fish at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Make your baby's taco first, then season the rest of the fish with salt, cumin or chili, and add lime juice, shredded cabbage, salsa or hot sauce to the adults' tacos.