Sushi for Pregnant Women: What Is Safe to Eat

In Hong Kong, official advice is clear: pregnant women should avoid raw and undercooked fish and seafood, including sushi, sashimi and smoked salmon. That still leaves plenty of cooked sushi to enjoy.

Hong Kong guidance. Avoid: raw or undercooked fish (sushi, sashimi, smoked salmon) and all raw seafood — oysters, scallops, shrimp, cuttlefish. Limit mercury: avoid large predatory fish, including bluefin, bigeye, albacore and yellowfin tuna. Enjoy: fully cooked sushi — unagi, anago, cooked prawn, tamago, cooked salmon.

What the Centre for Food Safety says

The Centre for Food Safety lists fish served raw or undercooked — including sushi, sashimi and smoked salmon — and all other raw seafood such as oysters, scallops, shrimps and cuttlefish as foods pregnant women should avoid. It advises that susceptible groups, including pregnant women, should not eat raw fish, because of parasites and bacteria.

Mercury

Hong Kong's Department of Health advises choosing low-mercury fish such as salmon and sardines, and avoiding large predatory fish including bluefin, bigeye, albacore and yellowfin tuna, shark and swordfish. See bluefin vs yellowfin.

Safe sushi to order

Unagi and anago (grilled or simmered eel), cooked prawn (ebi), tamago, inari, cucumber and avocado rolls, tempura rolls, cooked or seared-through salmon, crab that is fully cooked. Eat it warm or freshly made. See unagi vs anago and sushi without raw fish.

"Seared" isn't cooked. Aburi sushi is only torched on the surface. The inside is still raw.

Other countries differ. Some overseas guidance allows raw fish from reputable sources in moderation. Hong Kong's official advice is to avoid it. Follow your own doctor.

Avoid alcohol too. Skip the sake pairing, and watch for alcohol in sauces. If you feel unwell after eating, see a doctor.

Common questions

Can I eat sushi while pregnant in Hong Kong?

Cooked sushi, yes. Raw fish and seafood, official advice is to avoid.

Is salmon safe in pregnancy?

Cooked salmon is a good low-mercury choice.

Where else can I look?

See is it safe to eat raw fish.

Compiled by our editorial team from Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety and Department of Health guidance, Tokyo Metropolitan Government food safety information, Codex references and product information, retrieved September 2026. This is general information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, have an allergy or a medical condition, follow your doctor's advice.