Smoked Fish

Why smoked fish is rated low

Smoked fish is low FODMAP at "Any typical portion". Fish is protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate, and the smoking process adds smoke and salt rather than anything fermentable, so plain smoked salmon, trout or mackerel all land in the same low place. The rating is estimated from what smoked fish is made of rather than from a measured serving. That makes the label the thing to read: the fish decides very little, while the glaze, the crust, or the pâté it has been blended into can decide a lot.

What changes your risk

• Glazes and crusts Hot-smoked fillets sold with a honey glaze or a garlic and herb crust carry those ingredients with them. Honey and garlic are both high FODMAP, so a plain fillet and a flavoured one are not the same food.
• Pâtés, dips and mousses Smoked fish pâté and smoked mackerel dip are often blended with cream cheese, soft cheese or onion. Those spreads have to be judged on their ingredient list, not on the fish.
• What it is served on Smoked fish tends to arrive on rye crackers, wheat bread or blini. Rye and wheat in ordinary bread and crackers add to the meal's total load even though the fish adds nothing.
• Mixed dishes Kedgeree, chowder and fish cakes built around smoked fish usually start with onion, and fish cakes are often bound or coated with wheat crumbs.
• Serving size The rating covers "Any typical portion". It is about the fish, not an open invitation to the whole platter of crackers and spreads beside it.

What else works

Plain fresh fish, tinned fish packed in oil or water, eggs and plain poultry all sit in the same low place and do the same job on a plate. The lookalikes that are not low are the dressed-up versions of smoked fish itself: honey-glazed hot-smoked salmon, smoked fish pâté or mousse made with cream cheese or onion, fish cakes with wheat crumb, and smoked fish chowder started with onion. When the fish has been mixed with something, the mixture gets its own answer.

How to keep it low

Look for packs where the ingredients read as fish, salt and smoke, sometimes with table sugar, which is fine. Keep it sealed in the fridge and use it within the time printed on the pack once opened. Flake it over rice with chives and lemon, fold it into scrambled eggs, or toss it through a potato salad dressed with garlic-infused oil. For a quick dip, mix flaked smoked fish with lactose-free yoghurt, lemon juice and chives, and serve it with gluten free crackers, rice cakes or traditional sourdough spelt toast rather than rye crispbread.

Common questions

is smoked fish low fodmap

Yes. Plain smoked fish is rated low FODMAP at "Any typical portion", estimated from what it is made of: fish protein and fat with negligible carbohydrate.

is smoked mackerel pate low fodmap

It depends on the recipe, not the mackerel. Many pâtés are blended with cream cheese, soft cheese or onion, so read the ingredient list; a homemade version with lactose-free yoghurt and chives keeps it low.

can i eat smoked fish during the low fodmap elimination phase

Plain smoked fish fits the elimination phase at "Any typical portion". Skip glazed or garlic-crusted fillets and watch what it is served on, since rye and wheat crackers add their own load.

is hot smoked salmon different from cold smoked for fodmaps

Plain hot-smoked and cold-smoked fish are both low, because neither process adds FODMAPs. The difference is that hot-smoked fillets are more often sold with honey glazes or garlic crusts, so those need a label check.