Salmon Nutrition Facts, Calories and Protein per Fillet

The salmon on this page is farmed Atlantic salmon, cooked. That is the salmon most people buy: commercial fishing for wild Atlantic salmon is prohibited in the US, so the Atlantic salmon in US stores and restaurants is farm-raised. The numbers describe the fish after cooking, when it has lost some water, so they fit a fillet weighed on the plate rather than raw from the package.

Salmon stands out in the database for two nutrients that few foods supply in quantity: vitamin D and vitamin B12. It is also one of the fattiest common fish, and much of that fat is unsaturated.

Wild salmon in US markets comes from the Pacific, in five main species:

• King (chinook): the largest and richest of the wild species, with fat comparable to farmed salmon.
• Sockeye (red): deep red, firm and leaner; widely sold fresh, frozen and canned.
• Coho (silver): milder and moderately lean.
• Pink and chum (keta): the smallest and leanest, used mostly for canned salmon and frozen fillets.

Farmed Atlantic salmon usually has more fat, and so more calories per ounce, than most wild Pacific salmon. Its exact fat content depends on the fish's feed, which is why packaged farmed salmon labels can differ from this USDA average.

The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA that salmon is known for are part of its polyunsaturated fat, 3.9 g in a 3-ounce serving. USDA measures them individually, and fatty fish such as salmon are among the richest food sources of both.

Much of a fillet's fat sits in and just under the skin, so salmon eaten without the skin has somewhat less fat and fewer calories. Cooking with dry heat removes water, not nutrients, so a cooked fillet weighs less than it did raw but carries the same protein and fat. Oil, butter and glazes used in cooking add their own calories.

Fresh fillets are baked, broiled, grilled, pan-seared skin side down until crisp, or poached. Salmon is also sold hot-smoked (fully cooked and flaky) and cold-smoked or cured as lox, which is sliced thin for bagels; both are salted, so their sodium is far higher than fresh salmon. Canned salmon goes into patties, salads and spreads. In food manufacturing it appears in frozen portions, burgers, sushi and prepared meals.

• Teriyaki or honey-glazed salmon. Fillets glazed with soy sauce, honey and garlic. Soy Sauce · Honey · Garlic
• Salmon rice bowls. Cooked or raw salmon over rice with avocado and cucumber. White Rice · Avocado · Cucumber
• Salmon patties. Flaked canned or cooked salmon bound with egg and crumbs, then pan-fried. Egg · White Bread · Onion
• Smoked salmon bagel. Lox with cream cheese, onion and capers. Cream Cheese · Onion
• Salmon salad. Grilled salmon over greens with an olive oil dressing. Spinach · Olive Oil · Tomato
• Sushi and sashimi. Raw salmon prepared from fish handled for raw service. White Rice · Avocado

Keep raw salmon in the coldest part of the refrigerator and cook it within one to two days, or freeze it. Cooked salmon keeps three to four days refrigerated. Thaw frozen fillets overnight in the refrigerator rather than on the counter. Smoked salmon keeps longer unopened; follow the date on the package.

Fish is a major food allergen, and US allergen rules require the species to be named, so a product containing salmon must declare "salmon", not just "fish". For the nutrition panel, use cooked data like this page when you weigh cooked salmon, and raw data when you portion raw fillets, since cooking removes water. Include glazes, oils and brines as ingredients; smoked and cured salmon need their own data because curing adds a lot of sodium. Build your recipe in the label generator, prepare the allergen statement with the ingredient formatter, and check the reference amount in the RACC lookup.