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Can I eat a seafood boil while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

A seafood boil with shrimp, crab legs, crawfish, lobster or clams shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, for seafood that is cooked through. The check is how much seafood you eat in a week: the FDA lists shrimp, crab, crawfish, lobster and clams among its Best Choices, 2 to 3 servings a week. Australia suggests most seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week, and Canada and New Zealand set no weekly amount for low-mercury seafood. The sausage, corn and potatoes show No known issues.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Shrimp boil

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Crawfish boil

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Crab legs and lobster

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Clams in the boil

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoes

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Seafood boil while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on seafood boil, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    • Shrimp boilCheck
    • Crawfish boilCheck
    • Crab legs and lobsterCheck
    • Clams in the boilCheck
    • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoesNo known issues
    • FDAFish is recommended but amounts limit mercury exposure.Source
    Leftover seafood boil
    • FDAReheating kills bacteria that grow during storage.Source
    • FDARefrigerate within 2 hours, keep cooked meat or poultry leftovers 3 to 4 days, reheat leftovers to 165°F.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Shrimp boilCheck
    • Crawfish boilCheck
    • Crab legs and lobsterCheck
    • Clams in the boilCheck
    • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoesNo known issues
    • NHSTrying for a baby or pregnant: max 2 oily fish portions (140g) a week; tuna max 4 cans or 2 steaks a week.Source
    Leftover seafood boil
    • FSAFridge within 2 hours, eat within 48 hours, reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.Source
    • FSABacteria grow if food is warmed rather than heated through.Source

  • Canada

    • Shrimp boilCheck
    • Crawfish boilCheck
    • Crab legs and lobsterCheck
    • Clams in the boilCheck
    • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoesNo known issues
    • Health CanadaLow-mercury fish encouraged with no weekly amount; limit only fresh/frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, escolar.Source
    Leftover seafood boil
    • Health CanadaRefrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 to 3 days, reheat to 74°C.Source
    • Health CanadaEat refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days; reheat to 74°C.Source

  • Australia

    • Shrimp boilCheck
    • Crawfish boilCheck
    • Crab legs and lobsterCheck
    • Clams in the boilCheck
    • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoesNo known issues
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Other fish or seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week (150 g serve).Source
    Leftover seafood boil
    • NSW Food AuthorityLeftovers in the fridge, eaten within a day and reheated to at least 60°C.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Leftovers: fridge, reheat thoroughly, not more than one day old.Source
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Avoid leftover meats refrigerated more than a day unless reheated.Source
    • FSANZVulnerable people: eat refrigerated leftovers within 1 day; reheat to 75 °C steaming hot.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Store leftovers in the fridge and use them within a day of cooking.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Shrimp boilCheck
    • Crawfish boilCheck
    • Crab legs and lobsterCheck
    • Clams in the boilCheck
    • Smoked sausage, corn and potatoesNo known issues
    • Health NZMost commonly eaten NZ fish can be eaten freely; low-mercury species need no restriction.Source
    Leftover seafood boil
    • Health NZLeftovers: fridge, eat within two days, reheat until piping hot (over 70°C); never eat cold.Source
    • Health NZStore leftover cooked or canned food in fridge and use within 2 days (Health NZ listeriosis page: 24 hours).Source
What to check

Before you eat seafood boil.

  1. Cook the shellfish until pearly and opaque

    The FDA asks for most seafood cooked to 145°F, and says shrimp, crab and lobster are done when the flesh is pearly and opaque. Health Canada gives 74°C (165°F) for shellfish, and asks you to throw away any clams in the shell that don't open. FDA

  2. Don't leave the boil out on the table

    The FDA says never to leave seafood out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour above 90°F. A spread left out through a long, hot afternoon goes past that. FDA

  3. Count the seafood in your weekly fish

    The FDA asks pregnant women to eat 2 to 3 servings a week from its Best Choices, and a serving is 4 ounces, about the size of your palm. Shrimp, crab, crawfish and lobster from the same boil all count. FDA

  4. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot

    The UK Food Standards Agency asks for leftovers to go in the fridge within 2 hours, be eaten within 48 hours and be reheated once, until steaming hot. Cold cooked shrimp shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. FSA

Questions

About seafood boil
in pregnancy.

A seafood boil shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries, for seafood cooked through and eaten hot. The check is how much seafood you have in the week, since shrimp, crab, crawfish and lobster all count.

A crawfish boil shows Check in all six countries. The FDA lists crawfish among its Best Choices, its lowest-mercury group, and asks for shellfish cooked until the flesh is pearly and opaque.

Crab legs show Check in all six countries, for the weekly seafood amount, and the FDA lists crab as a Best Choice. The NHS notes that brown crab meat contains cadmium and sets no maximum for white crab meat.

Smoked sausage, corn and potatoes show No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. The check on a seafood boil comes from the seafood.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names Cajun seasoning. If spicy food gives you heartburn, the NHS says cutting down on rich, spicy or fatty foods can help, and to see your midwife or GP if it doesn't.

Cold cooked shrimp shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and Check in the US, UK and Canada. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot: the FDA's number is 165°F.

In the US, one serving is 4 ounces, and the FDA suggests 2 to 3 servings a week from its Best Choices. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says most seafood no more than 2 to 3 times a week, with a 150 g serve.

Yes. Take a photo of the platter or the menu, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.