Herring

Choking risk

Herring is a moderate choking risk - the hazards are bones, tough skin, and dry, overcooked pieces that are hard to swallow.

Cooked through, the spine lifts out in one piece, and the fine soft bones that remain can mash right in, like a sardine's. Peel off the skin, flake the fish, and keep it moist with a little sauce, oil, or yogurt. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.

Allergens

Herring is a fish, and fish is a common food allergen. There's no reason to delay it, though - waiting doesn't prevent allergies, and allergens can start alongside other solids from around 6 months.^[1]

Fish and shellfish are separate allergens, so doing fine with one doesn't tell you anything about the other - though fish do run together: a reaction to one fish usually means checking with your pediatrician before trying others.

If your baby has severe eczema or an existing food allergy, check with your pediatrician before starting allergens.

Start with about 1/4 teaspoon of well-cooked, finely flaked fresh herring mixed into a familiar food, earlier in the day, not near bedtime. Wait 10 minutes, and if all looks well, carry on with the meal. Watch for a reaction over the next couple of hours. Build up gradually from there, and keep fish in the diet a few times a week.^[2]

If baby refuses

Herring is a rich, oily fish, and the flavor can be a lot at first. Stir the flakes into mashed potato or pasta, or bake them into soft fish cakes made without added salt. If it keeps coming back, sardines carry the same oils with a milder taste - start there and work up. Keep offering it - tastes change with repeat tries.

Food safety

Cook fresh herring until opaque and flaking easily all the way through - 145°F - and never serve it raw or undercooked. Babies are more vulnerable to food poisoning than adults.

Herring also needs to stay cold from the store to the pan. Here's why: when oily fish sits at room temperature, bacteria on the flesh produce histamine - the same compound involved in allergic reactions - and once it forms, no amount of cooking removes it. A child who eats that fish can develop flushing, hives, or an upset stomach that looks exactly like a fish allergy, even though it isn't one. The prevention is simple: buy herring very fresh or frozen, refrigerate it as soon as you're home, keep it cold until it's cooked, and don't serve fish that's been left sitting out.^[5]

Pickled, smoked, and cream herring are a different matter - they're cured, salty foods, better saved for later childhood and mostly for the grown-ups. Fresh herring, though, is among the lowest-mercury fish you can buy, so it can be a regular fish.^[4]