Creamy salmon pasta

Name: Creamy salmon pasta
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 adults and 1 baby
Ingredients: 250 g (9 oz) skinless salmon fillet; 200 g (7 oz) dried wheat pasta; 150 g (1 cup) frozen peas; 2 handfuls (60 g / 2 oz) spinach; 75 g (⅓ cup) plain full-fat cream cheese

Soft pasta with flaked baked salmon and peas in a quick cream cheese sauce, with no added salt. Contains fish, wheat and milk: offer it once your baby has had each on its own.

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

Contains fishContains wheatContains milk

Ingredients

250 g (9 oz)skinless salmon filletfresh or frozen (thawed in the fridge overnight), not smoked
200 g (7 oz)dried wheat pastaplain wheat pasta with no egg (check the label); small shapes such as small shells, or larger shapes such as penne for a younger baby to grip
150 g (1 cup)frozen peas
2 handfuls (60 g / 2 oz)spinachoptional
75 g (⅓ cup)plain full-fat cream cheesepasteurized; compare labels and choose a lower-salt one

Steps

1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Put the salmon on a lined baking tray and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until it's opaque, flakes easily and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Wash your hands after handling raw fish. Rinse the spinach, remove any thick stems and chop the leaves very finely.
2Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of unsalted water for a few minutes longer than the package says, until a piece squashes easily between your fingers. Add the spinach for the last 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the peas in a separate small pan of boiling water for about 5 minutes, until very soft. Save a mug of the pasta cooking water, then drain both, and keep the peas apart.
3Let the salmon cool a little, then pull it apart with your fingers, feeling every flake for bones and removing any bone and skin you find.
4Put the pasta and spinach back in the pan over low heat, but not the peas. Stir in the cream cheese with a splash of the cooking water until it melts into a smooth sauce that coats the pasta. Gently fold in the salmon and heat until steaming. Don't add salt.
5Take your baby's portion out now, before any seasoning goes in, and spread it in a shallow bowl. Put a spoonful of peas in a separate small bowl for your baby: mash them with a fork for a baby under 9 months, or press each pea flat from 9 months. Stir the rest of the peas into the family pasta. Let your baby's pasta cool, stir, and check it's only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had fish, wheat and dairy each on their own without a reaction, offer a few large, very soft pasta shapes coated in sauce and large soft flakes of salmon to grab. Or mash small pasta shapes with the salmon and sauce and serve it on a pre-loaded spoon. Serve the peas mashed, on the spoon or stirred into the sauce.

9 months+

Serve small shapes, or pasta cut into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with small boneless flakes of salmon and the peas pressed flat.

12 months+

Serve the family dish, with pasta in small shapes or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch). Peas are small and round, so keep squashing them until your child chews well, and keep checking the salmon for bones.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

Salmon is on the FDA/EPA 'Best choices' list for low mercury. The FDA advice is for children aged 1 and older: for ages 1 to 3, a serving is about 1 oz (28 g), 2 servings a week from that list. It doesn't give a serving size for babies under 12 months.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS baked salmon recipe for babies from 6 months says to aim for 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 oily fish such as salmon. The NHS also sets a limit on oily fish for children: up to 4 portions a week for boys and no more than 2 for girls, because the pollutants oily fish contains can build up in the body.

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, milk. 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

Best eaten fresh. Cool leftovers quickly and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. We don't suggest freezing it: frozen food stays safe, but cream sauces don't freeze well. Reheat only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), stirring in a splash of water so there are no cold spots, then let it cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Take your baby's portion out first, then season the rest with black pepper, a little salt, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon for the adults. Long pasta like linguine works for the adults; keep small or large shapes for the baby.