Is smoked salmon safe during pregnancy?

My wife's doctor explicitly told us to avoid cold-smoked salmon because it isn't cooked with heat and can carry listeria, which is dangerous for the fetus. However, she said hot-smoked salmon that is heated to 165°F, or canned salmon, is perfectly safe to eat. Always double-check the smoking method.

During my wife's pregnancy, we had to manage her high BP and be very careful about her diet and regular checkups. Smoked salmon is very high in sodium which can raise blood pressure, plus the risk of infections is high. It is much safer to stick to fresh, fully cooked local fish and keep monitoring your health.

While I love using traditional home recipes, pregnancy food safety is a different matter. Cold-smoked salmon is technically raw and can have harmful bacteria, so it is safer to skip it. If you want fish, make a nice, fully cooked fish curry at home with ginger and turmeric instead.

I am quite new to learning about pregnancy diets and I'm a bit confused. I read that fish is very good for the baby's brain, but is smoked salmon really that unsafe even if we buy it from a very high-quality store? Should we avoid all smoked meats too?