HeySolids
Choking risk
Catfish is a moderate choking risk for babies - the soft flakes themselves are easy, but stray bones and dry, tough pieces need managing.
Flake the cooked fillet, run your fingers through it for bones, and keep it moist. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Fish is a common food allergen, and a fish allergy is usually lifelong.[1]
Offer catfish on its own, earlier in the day and when you can watch baby for a couple of hours afterward. Start with a small taste and build up gradually if all's well, watching for a reaction.[2]
Once tolerated, keep fish in the diet regularly. Fish and shellfish are separate allergens, so being fine with one doesn't mean the other is safe.
If baby refuses
Catfish has a soft texture and only a whisper of flavor, so refusals are usually about newness. Fold the flakes into something baby already likes - cheesy grits, mashed sweet potato, or a spoon of plain yogurt - and try again another day. New foods often take many tries.
Food safety
Cook catfish to 145°F, until it's opaque and flakes easily, and check the flakes for bones - US farmed fillets are usually boneless, but the odd one slips through.
Catfish sits on the FDA's "Best Choices" list and is one of the lowest-mercury fish measured, so it can be a regular part of the one to two fish meals a week that are good for growing brains.[3]
How to serve
6+ months old
A strip to hold, or flaked into soft food
A strip the width of two adult fingers, or flaked
Offer a soft-cooked strip of catfish about two fingers wide for baby to hold and gnaw, or flake the fillet and stir it through mashed potato, grits, or a vegetable puree so it stays moist.
Run your fingers through the flakes for bones first, and see the Allergens section the first time you serve fish.
How to cook
Bake, poach, or steam a plain fillet to 145°F until it flakes, with no added salt and no crunchy coating. Cool before serving.
9+ months old
Small soft flakes to pick up
Bite-sized flakes, or a strip to hold
Once the pincer grasp appears, break the fillet into small flakes for baby to pick up, or keep offering a bigger strip alongside. A little olive oil or yogurt stirred through stops the flakes drying out.
Keep checking for the odd bone before it reaches the tray.
How to cook
Bake or poach to 145°F until opaque and flaking, then cool and flake into pieces.
12+ months old
In family meals
Bite-sized pieces, or flaked into dishes
Catfish can join family meals now - flaked into rice, tacos, or pasta, or as small soft pieces to eat with a fork. Go easy on salt, and save heavily fried or blackened versions for later.
Since it's one of the lowest-mercury fish, catfish can appear as often as fish is on the menu.
How to cook
Bake, pan-cook, or poach to 145°F until it flakes, keep the seasoning light, and check for bones.
Tips
- Skip the cornmeal crust for now. Fried catfish is the classic, but the crunchy coating and the salt that comes with it aren't for babies yet. Bake or poach a plain fillet for baby, and fry the rest for the table - same fish, two plates.
- Buy US farmed if you can. US farm-raised catfish is what most stores carry - fillets are usually boneless, the flavor is milder than wild-caught, and it's one of the lowest-mercury fish you can buy, so it can be a regular without any counting.