Is cod high in histamine?
Fresh cod is mostly low in histamine: fresh white fish averaged 1.14 mg/kg in lab tests and most samples had none, though 9 of 10 published low-histamine diets exclude all fish.
- Histamine
- Varies by sample
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Fresh white fish measured very low (95% of samples had none), but nine of ten published diets exclude fish as a group.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Average 1.14 mg/kg in 31 samples of fresh white fish; 95% had none. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 9 of 10 exclude fish as a group. | |
| EU food law 2 | Histamine limits target histidine-rich fish families, not cod. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh white fish sold in Spain (group that includes cod) 1 (Table 1) | 31 | mean 1.14 mg/kg, range nd–36.55 mg/kg | 95% of samples had no detectable histamine; other amines low |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Cod is not rich in histidine like tuna, but it still spoils. Fillets frozen soon after catch, or fish bought very fresh and cooked the same day, are the best choices. Salt cod and smoked cod are processed products that were not measured in the studies we use.
Fresh white fish averaged 1.14 mg/kg; most samples had none. (measured)
Not measured. Storage time adds histamine, and reheating does not remove it. (estimate)
Not measured; processing and long storage give more time for amines to form. (estimate)
Why we rate cod 1
Cod is where the low-histamine lists and the measurements part company. Nine of the ten published low-histamine diets reviewed in 2021 exclude "fish and fish derivatives" as a group, and many readers come away believing that all fish is high in histamine. The measurements for white fish do not support that. When a University of Barcelona team tested 31 samples of fresh white fish sold in Spain, a group that includes cod, the average histamine content was 1.14 mg/kg and 95% of samples had none detectable. The highest single sample had 36.55 mg/kg, which shows that freshness still matters.
The difference from tuna is biological. Tuna, mackerel, sardines and anchovies have flesh rich in free histidine, which bacteria turn into histamine. Cod and other white fish are not in that group, so even when handling is imperfect they tend to build up less histamine. The European Union's legal histamine limits for fish target the histidine-rich families, and cod is not among them.
We rate cod 1, "mostly low", and mark it disputed. Our rating follows the measurements, but we keep it above zero because fish is the food group where storage matters most, and because most published diets still exclude it. Your dietitian may advise you to leave all fish out during a strict elimination phase; if so, cod is a sensible first fish to reintroduce.
What you buy makes a difference. Fillets frozen soon after catch, or fish bought very fresh and cooked that day, are the best choices. Leftover cooked cod is less certain, because amines form during storage and are not destroyed by reheating. Salt cod and smoked cod were not measured in the studies we use, and we treat them as higher until they are.
Questions about cod and histamine
Is frozen cod low in histamine?
Cod frozen soon after catch is one of the better fish choices, because freezing stops the bacteria that form histamine. What matters is how fresh it was when frozen and how quickly you cook it after thawing.
Evidence behind this page
- Fresh white fish sold in Spain averaged 1.14 mg/kg of histamine across 31 samples, and 95% had none detectable; the highest had 36.55 mg/kg. 1
- Fish species prone to histamine (tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies) are those with high free histidine. 14
- EU histamine limits apply to fishery products from fish species associated with a high amount of histidine. 2
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- European Commission. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union L 338, 2005. Link (European Commission 2005)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)