Can I eat calamari while pregnant?

The verdict

Yes, provided it is cooked, which fried calamari always is.

The NHS lists cooked shellfish, including prawns, crab, lobster, squid, mussels, scallops, clams and cockles, among foods that are safe to eat in pregnancy. Squid is named directly. The FDA and EPA place squid on their Best Choices list for mercury, from which those who are pregnant can eat two to three four-ounce servings a week, and name squid among the fish that are even lower in mercury.

What is restricted is raw squid, and cold ready-to-eat squid. The NHS lists raw shellfish among foods to avoid; ACOG advises avoiding all raw and undercooked seafood; and FSANZ puts chilled ready-to-eat and raw seafood, including sashimi and ceviche, in its higher-risk group.

This is one of the simpler answers on this site, largely because almost nobody eats squid raw in the countries covered here.

Why squid is low risk

Two things work in its favour, and they are the two things that get most other seafood restricted.

Mercury is not an issue. Squid are small, fast-growing and short-lived, typically living around a year, so they have almost no time to accumulate methylmercury. FSANZ explains why that matters: mercury builds up in fish over time, and big, long-lived predatory species carry the most. Squid is the opposite profile, which is why it sits with anchovies, sardines, shrimp and scallops on the FDA's lowest-mercury list rather than with swordfish and shark.

Cooking is not optional in practice. Squid is either cooked very quickly at high heat, as in deep-fried calamari or a hot griddle, or braised slowly, as in a stew. Both are cooked. There is no widely eaten cold-cured squid product equivalent to smoked salmon, which is where most seafood restrictions in pregnancy come from.

How to tell it is cooked

The FDA's general seafood test is that finfish should reach an internal temperature of 145F, which is 63C, and that where a thermometer is not practical, shellfish is done when the flesh is opaque and firm. Squid turns from translucent to opaque white and firms up within a minute or two at frying temperature.

Deep-fried calamari from a restaurant or takeaway is cooked at around 180C for a couple of minutes and is comfortably past that point. Salt and pepper squid, grilled squid, squid in a paella, and squid braised in a tomato sauce are all cooked. Squid rings that are still translucent in the middle are not.

The preparations to avoid

Raw squid appears in Japanese cuisine as ika sashimi and in some marinated preparations. Raw shellfish is on the NHS avoid list, ACOG advises avoiding all raw and undercooked seafood and says not to eat sushi made with raw fish while cooked sushi is safe, and the HSE lists raw fish including sushi among foods to avoid.

Ceviche made with squid is chemically denatured by citrus juice but not cooked, and FSANZ names ceviche specifically in its higher-risk row.

Cold squid salad, the marinated squid served on antipasti platters and at deli counters, is the one that catches people out. It is cooked, then chilled, then held ready to eat, which is exactly the profile that listeria exploits. The FSA lists cooked shellfish among the ready-to-eat foods where listeria is more commonly found, and its handling advice is to keep chilled food below 5C, eat ready-to-eat food within four hours of leaving the fridge or two hours on a very warm day, and always eat by the use-by date.

Frozen raw squid cooked at home is the cheapest and lowest-risk route, and it cooks from frozen in minutes.

Fried food, the other question

Calamari is nearly always battered or breaded and deep fried, and that raises a nutritional point rather than a safety one.

The NHS notes that fish that is steamed, baked or grilled is a healthier choice than fried fish, because frying can increase the fat content of fish and shellfish, especially if they are cooked in batter. Restaurant calamari also carries a substantial amount of salt, both in the coating and in the seasoning.

NHS pregnancy diet advice is to eat a healthy balanced diet, and there is no reason to treat fried calamari as anything other than an occasional dish. Grilled or griddled squid gives you the same protein, iodine and selenium without the batter.

Squid ink, and squid in a takeaway

Squid ink pasta and squid ink risotto are cooked dishes and carry no separate restriction. The ink is a flavouring and a colouring, used in small quantities, and no authority lists it.

Takeaway calamari carries the ordinary takeaway caveats rather than a squid-specific one: food that has been held warm rather than served hot, dipping sauces and mayonnaise-based dips, and salad garnishes that may not have been washed. Commercial mayonnaise and aioli are made with pasteurised egg and are not restricted; the FDA notes commercial mayonnaise, dressing and sauces contain pasteurised eggs that are safe to eat, and FSANZ lists commercial dressings such as mayonnaise and aioli as safer alternatives to homemade versions.

If you have eaten raw or cold squid

Raw squid once is a food poisoning risk rather than a specific pregnancy hazard. Watch for nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps over the following day or two. NHS advice is to get help from 111 if you feel unwell after having food that should be avoided in pregnancy, or if vomiting and diarrhoea last more than 48 hours.

Cold ready-to-eat squid salad carries a small listeria risk. Listeriosis is rare, and the NHS's general position is that a small amount of a food that should have been avoided, if you did not become ill, is unlikely to affect your baby. Because ACOG notes symptoms can appear as late as two months afterwards, keep an eye out for fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion or upset stomach, and contact your midwife or GP the same day if any appear, mentioning what you ate.

Where guidance differs

Very little, which is unusual for seafood. The NHS names cooked squid as safe. The FDA rates squid a Best Choice and restricts only raw or undercooked shellfish. FSANZ restricts raw and chilled ready-to-eat seafood rather than squid as such. Ireland's HSE names clams, oysters, scallops, prawns and mussels on its avoid list and does not name squid, and separately restricts raw and smoked fish.

So the only meaningful divergence is around cold, marinated, ready-to-eat squid, which Australia and New Zealand treat more cautiously than the UK does. Hot calamari straight from the fryer is uncontroversial everywhere.