This Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree is an excellent baby food for including fish in baby’s diet. Pink salmon is paired with creamy carrot, tomato and fresh basil to create a delicious and nutritious meal. This is a versatile baby food recipe, easily adapted to suit baby’s age and stage – puree it to smooth, leave it chunky or use as a pasta sauce for self-feeding.
Salmon is a great choice of fish for babies. Not only is it one of the top seafood sources [1] of omega-3 fatty acids, which are critical for baby’s development, it also has many important nutrients. Remember that fish is an allergen [1], so follow paediatric health advice on introducing allergens to baby. You may have also heard to only give baby tomato later into starting solids, because it can cause skin reactions [2]. As with any food, there are precautions. But just like salmon, tomato can be introduced from when baby starts solids [2,3]. Tomatoes [3] are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants and are a common ingredient in our family meals, so it made both nutritional and practical sense to introduce my babies PK and LJ to tomato from 6 months.
What you need for Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree
Choose beautifully fresh ingredients for this nutritious baby food:
Salmon fillets – Always make sure you have high-quality, fresh fish when cooking for and serving to babies. Now that Baby LJ is over 12 months of age, I sometimes use high-quality frozen seafood – but never freeze those leftovers for reheating. Make sure bones have been removed!
Carrot – Nice crisp carrots, peeled.
Tomato – I normally use one large ripe Gourmet tomato, but Field or Roma varieties are fine to use as well. Choose the best looking produce for baby!
Basil – Use 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves.
Butter – As always, use unsalted butter to avoid giving unnecessary sodium [4] to baby.
Water – For steaming the vegetables.
How to make this baby puree recipe
Thermomixer? This baby food recipe can be created completely in your all-in-one appliance. Firstly, steam the carrot and salmon. Skin and deseed the tomato. Once finished steaming, set aside the carrot, sauté the tomato in your machine and flake the salmon. Add the carrot and basil to the tomato to puree, and lastly, stir through the salmon.
Conventional cook? Steam the carrot and salmon using a steamer basket on the stovetop. Skin and deseed the tomato. Once finished steaming, set aside the carrot and flake the salmon. Sauté the tomato on the stovetop over medium heat, and then transfer it to a blender or food processor. Add in the carrot and basil to puree, and lastly, stir through the salmon.
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both thermo cooker and conventional methods.
How to serve Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree
Serve this Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree as smooth or as textured as you like, and adapt it as baby progresses with solids. If baby is early into starting solids, you might like to blend in the salmon to make a smoother puree. Like lots of others, this purée recipe makes a great pasta sauce too for later self-feeding.
Looking for more homemade baby puree recipes that include seafood as an ingredient? Try this family meal of Prawn and Pea Risotto, following the adaptions for baby 😊.
Making this Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing if your little people love these meals as much as mine! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more delicious recipes.
Happy pureeing,
Chloe x
Salmon, Carrot, Tomato and Basil Puree
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 500 g water
- 140 g / 2 carrots peeled and sliced into 2cm pieces
- 100 g fresh skinless salmon (approx. ½ fillet) (Note 1)
- 130 g / 1 large ripe tomato
- 10 g unsalted butter (Note 2)
- 5-6 basil leaves
Instructions
- Steam the carrot and salmon in a steamer basket over a saucepan/pot with lid for 18 minutes or until salmon is cooked through and carrot is tender.
- While steaming the carrot and salmon, prepare the tomato. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a cross into the skin of the tomato at its base. Plunge it into boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to cold water. Peel, deseed and roughly chop.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan, and sauté the tomato for 7 minutes until tender.
- Flake the salmon, making sure it is cooked through and that there are no bones. Set aside.
- Transfer tomato to a blender or food processor. Add the steamed carrot and basil. Blend the vegetables until you are happy with the consistency (Note 3).
- Stir through the flaked salmon.
Thermomix Instructions
- Pour the water into the mixing bowl. Insert the simmering basket. Add the carrot to the basket. Put the salmon on top of the carrot. Cook for 18 minutes, Varoma, speed 2, MC on, or until salmon is cooked through and carrot is tender
- While steaming the carrot and salmon, prepare the tomato. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a cross into the skin of the tomato at its base. Plunge it into boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to cold water. Peel, deseed and roughly chop.
- Remove the simmering basket. Discard the liquid and return mixing bowl to base. Add the tomato and butter. Sauté for 7 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, MC off.
- Flake the salmon, making sure it is cooked through and that there are no bones. Set aside.
- Add the steamed carrot and basil to the mixing bowl. Chop for 30 seconds, speed 7, MC on, making sure to increase the speed gradually to avoid the vegetables immediately sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl. See Note 3 on consistency.
- Stir through the flaked salmon.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Salmon, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
[2] Tomato, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
[3] Can babies eat tomatoes?, 2020, Healthline Media.
[4] Sodium and babies, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
[5] Homemade baby food, 2023, Raising Children Network Australia Limited.
One Response
You produce such nutritious meals with affordable ingredients and “no fuss”. A yummy way to give the littlies salmon as a pasta sauce.