Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon is considered safe to eat during pregnancy in the UK, though it carries a small Listeria risk because most is cold-smoked and not cooked — eat it fresh and well within date.

Eat with caution

The NHS lists smoked salmon as safe to eat during pregnancy, which sometimes surprises people who associate anything 'raw-adjacent' with an automatic no. The nuance is that most smoked salmon in the UK is cold-smoked, meaning it is cured and smoked at a low temperature that adds flavour and preserves it, but does not actually cook the fish the way hot-smoking or heat would. This means it carries the same small Listeria risk as other ready-to-eat chilled foods, which is why the general precautions are about freshness and storage rather than avoidance altogether. If you'd prefer to remove the residual risk entirely, cooking smoked salmon into a hot dish — such as stirring it into scrambled eggs or a warm pasta sauce right at the end of cooking — brings it fully in line with cooked fish and removes the concern completely.

What to be aware of

Buy smoked salmon from a reputable source and eat it well within its use-by date.
Keep it properly refrigerated and eat promptly after opening rather than leaving it out.
If you want to remove the small residual risk entirely, warm smoked salmon through in a hot dish rather than eating it cold.
Avoid smoked salmon that has been sitting out at room temperature, such as at a buffet.
As an oily fish, factor it into the general guidance of up to two portions of oily fish per week.

What to eat instead

Hot-smoked salmon — Cooked at a higher temperature during smoking, hot-smoked salmon is fully cooked and carries no additional Listeria consideration beyond ordinary cooked fish.
Cooked fresh salmon — A safe, straightforward alternative with the same excellent omega-3 content, without any of the ready-to-eat chilled food considerations.
Tinned salmon — Fully cooked during the canning process and shelf-stable, tinned salmon is a convenient, entirely safe alternative for sandwiches and salads.

NHS guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/

US guidance

US guidance is notably more cautious here: the FDA and CDC advise pregnant women to avoid refrigerated smoked seafood entirely unless it is an ingredient in a cooked dish (such as a casserole), specifically because of Listeria. Shelf-stable, tinned smoked salmon is treated as safe in the US in the same way it is in the UK.

Pregnancy-safe recipes

These recipes are designed with pregnancy safety in mind.

Warm smoked salmon and pea pasta

Stirring smoked salmon through hot pasta at the end of cooking warms it through gently, combining its flavour with the reassurance of heat.

Pregnancy tip: Add the smoked salmon off the direct heat once the pasta is tossed with the sauce — the residual warmth is enough to cook it through without turning it tough or rubbery.

Ingredients

350g tagliatelle or pasta of choice
200g smoked salmon, sliced into strips
150g frozen peas
200ml crème fraîche
Zest of 1 lemon
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
Salt and black pepper

Method

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, adding the peas for the final 2 minutes; drain, reserving a little pasta water.
Return the pasta and peas to the pan over low heat and stir through the crème fraîche and a splash of pasta water.
Remove from the heat and fold through the smoked salmon strips until just warmed through.
Stir in lemon zest and dill, season well, and serve immediately.