Can I Eat Eel Sushi While Pregnant? | Mercury & Cooking Tips

Yes, you can eat eel sushi while pregnant if the eel is fully cooked and eaten in limited amounts due to its moderate mercury content.

You already know raw sushi is off the table during pregnancy. But eel sushi — usually served as grilled unagi with that sweet soy glaze — is a different category entirely. It’s cooked, it’s tender, and it’s a common favorite on sushi menus.

So can you go ahead and order that eel roll? The honest answer is yes, with one real caveat. While cooking eliminates the bacteria risk associated with raw fish, eel carries moderate mercury levels that make portion control the real deciding factor for your pregnancy diet.

Unagi, Anago, and the Cooking Question

Most sushi eels are either freshwater unagi or saltwater anago, and both are almost always broiled, steamed, or grilled before serving. This preparation method is a key difference from raw tuna or salmon nigiri — the eel arrives at your table fully cooked.

Cooking kills harmful bacteria and parasites that cause foodborne illness, which is the main reason doctors recommend skipping raw sushi during pregnancy. With eel, that specific worry is off the table.

The dark, glossy sauce brushed over unagi is called eel sauce, and it’s also cooked down from soy sauce, sugar, and sometimes mirin, making it safe to eat. You may want to go light on it given the sodium content, but it won’t introduce any raw-food concerns.

Why Mercury Matters More Than Preparation

The cooking question is easy to answer. The mercury question requires a little more attention since eel falls into a middle category — not the lowest-mercury fish, but far from the highest.

• Low-mercury options (Best Choice): Salmon, shrimp, pollock, catfish, and canned light tuna. These can be eaten freely within the 2–3 serving per week guideline.
• Moderate-mercury options (Good Choice): Eel, halibut, grouper, mahi-mahi, and tuna steak. These are safe in limited amounts but should not be eaten daily.
• High-mercury options (Choice to Avoid): Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. These are linked to neurodevelopmental risks in larger amounts and are best skipped entirely.
• What the research says on eel: A 2018 review published by NIH notes eel consumption should be limited to about 150 grams (5.3 ounces) per week during pregnancy. That’s roughly one standard roll.

So while eel isn’t the lowest-mercury fish available, it’s also not in the danger zone. Treat it as an occasional choice rather than a weekly staple while you’re pregnant.

What the Guidelines Say About Eel While Pregnant

Federal health agencies don’t specifically warn against eel. The FDA lists it under moderate-mercury “Good Choices,” meaning it’s acceptable in reasonable amounts. You can explore the full breakdown on the FDA’s pregnancy fish guidelines to see how eel compares to other seafood.

The same FDA and EPA guidance recommends that pregnant women eat 2 to 3 servings of lower-mercury fish per week for essential omega-3s and other nutrients. Eel can fit into this rotation as long as you’re also eating plenty of the low-mercury options throughout the week.

This is why checking your weekly seafood intake matters — not just for sushi outings, but for any fish you prepare at home. A single eel roll plus a salmon dinner the same week would likely push your mercury intake higher than is recommended.

Use this table as a quick reference when ordering sushi or cooking seafood at home. It helps you see at a glance where eel sits relative to the fish you may already be eating regularly.

Building a Pregnancy-Safe Sushi Order

You don’t have to give up your favorite sushi spot for nine months. You just need a game plan that keeps both nutrition and safety in mind. Here is how to order confidently when a craving hits:

1. Confirm the eel is fully cooked. Broiled unagi is standard at most sushi bars, but it’s always worth asking your server to make absolutely sure.
2. Keep it to one eel roll. That’s roughly 4 to 5 ounces — enough to satisfy the craving while staying within the weekly limit outlined in current research.
3. Order a low-mercury backup roll. A cucumber avocado roll, a shrimp tempura roll, or a simple California roll fills the plate without adding much mercury.
4. Say no to raw fish. Sashimi, raw nigiri, and anything labeled “raw” should wait until after delivery due to the potential risk of listeria or other foodborne illness.
5. Go light on the soy sauce. Eel sauce is already salty, so dipping each piece in extra soy adds a lot of sodium in one sitting without much benefit.

A well-balanced sushi meal can include vegetables, rice, and cooked seafood. You’re not sacrificing flavor — just making informed swaps where it counts for your health and the baby’s development.

The Nutritional Upside of Cooked Eel

If you do include a small serving of eel, you get more than just flavor. Eel is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids — all of which support your baby’s eye, brain, and nervous system development throughout pregnancy.

The key is keeping the portion in check. One standard roll provides a useful amount of these nutrients without pushing your weekly mercury intake past the threshold that agencies recommend. You can read the specific serving suggestions in the NYC mercury fish guidelines for a closer look at portion guidance.

If you are comparing options, eel offers more vitamin A than many white fish like cod or tilapia. For pregnancy specifically, the goal is balancing mercury against nutrition — not avoiding fish entirely, which would mean missing out on those beneficial omega-3s.

The Bottom Line

Eel sushi is generally considered safe to eat during pregnancy when two conditions are met: the eel must be fully cooked, and your intake should stay around one roll per week due to the moderate mercury content. Balancing it with low-mercury fish like salmon or shrimp gives you the nutritional benefits without the risk of excess mercury exposure.

If you’re unsure how eel fits into your weekly seafood rotation, your obstetrician or a registered dietitian can help tailor the recommendations to your specific dietary habits and trimester needs.