How many calories are in fish?
A regular baked or broiled white fish fillet weighs 90 g and carries 129 calories. Per 100 g that fish is 143 calories, with 21.96 g of protein and almost no carbohydrate. The fillet is the number most people want, because that is what lands on the plate.
You'd need to walk about 26 minutes to burn the 129 calories in one fillet (90 g).
How long does it take to burn off fish?
One fillet (90 g) is 129 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 129 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 26 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 16 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 18 min |
| Jogging | 15 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 29 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (90 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Fish quick facts
- US servings, from one ounce to a cup of flaked fish
- Baked, steamed, fried and breaded
- Cod, salmon and canned tuna: the species swing
- Protein carries the fillet, sodium is the surprise
- How does fish compare?
- Most popular fish brands
- Fish FAQs
Fish quick facts
The record behind this page is FNDDS 2706325, "Fish, white, mixed species, baked or broiled". It is the one USDA entry for generic white fish cooked the way American kitchens cook it, with the fat and salt that cooking adds, rather than a single species measured raw. Cod, salmon, tilapia and canned tuna each have their own entries, and they sit further down the page as variants.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 fillet (90 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 143 | 129 | — |
| Total fat | 5.85 g | 5.3 g | 7% |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 g | 1.4 g | 7% |
| Carbohydrate | 0.01 g | 0.0 g | 0% |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0.0 g | 0% |
| Total sugars | 0.01 g | 0.0 g | — |
| Protein | 21.96 g | 19.8 g | 40% |
| Sodium | 316 mg | 284 mg | 12% |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg | 58 mg | 19% |
| Potassium | 334 mg | 301 mg | 6% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Two rows are missing on purpose. Added sugars and trans fat are not published for this record in this edition of FNDDS, so writing them as zero would be inventing data. Everything else is on the label as you see it, and the carbohydrate line really is that small: 0.01 g per 100 g is a rounding artifact, not an ingredient.
US servings, from one ounce to a cup of flaked fish
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 41 kcal |
| 3 oz cooked | 85 g | 122 kcal |
| One fillet, regular | 90 g | 129 kcal |
| One large fillet | 135 g | 193 kcal |
| 1 cup, flaked | 135 g | 193 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 143 kcal |
The fillet weights and the flaked cup are USDA household measures for this record. The 1 oz and 3 oz lines are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings, which matters if you are logging a restaurant portion sold by weight.
The cup is where people slip. A cup of flaked fish is 135 g and 193 calories, the same as a large fillet and about one and a half regular ones. Flaking a fillet into a salad or a taco bowl does not shrink it; it just makes the portion look modest. A 3 oz cooked piece, the size most nutrition advice uses, is smaller than the fillet on the plate at 85 g and 122 calories.
Baked, steamed, fried and breaded
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical piece | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| White fish, baked or broiled | 143 kcal | 1 fillet, 90 g | 129 kcal |
| Fish, steamed | 171 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 145 kcal |
| White fish, baked with a crumb coating | 166 kcal | 1 fillet, 90 g | 149 kcal |
| Fish, fried | 269 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 229 kcal |
| Fish sticks, frozen, prepared | 277 kcal | 3 pieces, 85 g | 235 kcal |
Cooking method moves the number more than anything else on this page. The same white fish is 143 calories per 100 g baked, 166 with a crumb coating and 269 fried, an 88 percent jump over baking. Frying also brings 11.72 g of carbohydrate per 100 g that plain fish does not have, and drops protein to 16.05 g because batter is taking up room.
Steamed sits at 171 per 100 g, which surprises people who expect steaming to be the lightest option. That record covers fish of any type, oily species included, so the number reflects the mix rather than the pan. Fish sticks are the heaviest thing here at 277 per 100 g, and roughly half of that weight is coating.
Store brands land under the generic fish stick record. Trident Seafoods' Ultimate Fish Stick is 188 calories per 100 g, or 160 for a three-piece serving, while Gorton's Breaded Haddock Fillets are 236 per 100 g and 250 for one 106 g fillet. A plain swordfish steak from the counter, at 147 per 100 g, is essentially the baked white fish number again.
Cod, salmon and canned tuna: the species swing
| Species | Per 100 g | 3 oz cooked (85 g) | Protein per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canned tuna in water, drained | 86 kcal | 73 kcal | — |
| Cod, Atlantic, cooked | 105 kcal | 89 kcal | 22.83 g |
| Tilapia, cooked | 128 kcal | 109 kcal | 26.15 g |
| Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked | 206 kcal | 175 kcal | 22.1 g |
Canned tuna in water is the lightest record anywhere on this page at 86 calories per 100 g. Cod is next at 105, and farmed Atlantic salmon is nearly twice cod at 206, because salmon carries 12.35 g of fat per 100 g against cod's 0.86 g. That fat is the whole gap; protein barely moves between them, 22.1 g versus 22.83 g.
Tilapia is the protein champion of the group at 26.15 g per 100 g for 128 calories. If you are picking a species by what it does per calorie, that is the one to know.
Protein carries the fillet, sodium is the surprise
One 90 g fillet delivers 19.8 g of protein, 40 percent of the FDA Daily Value of 50 g, for 129 calories and 5.3 g of fat. Saturated fat is 1.4 g, 7 percent of the DV. Very few whole foods put that much protein on a plate for that few calories.
The row worth a second look is sodium. That fillet is 284 mg, 12 percent of the DV, or about an eighth of a teaspoon of table salt. It is not the fish. Atlantic cod cooked with dry heat and nothing added is 78 mg per 100 g, while this baked record is 316 mg, so the salt arrives in the kitchen. Fried fish reaches 399 mg per 100 g and fish sticks 402 mg. If you are watching sodium, seasoning your own fillet is the lever, not switching species.
Cholesterol runs 58 mg per fillet, 19 percent of the DV, and potassium 301 mg, 6 percent. For how often fish appears in the week, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the FDA and EPA advice on eating fish point to 8 to 12 ounces a week for most adults.
How does fish compare?
| Fish | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| White fish, baked or broiled | 143 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 122 kcal |
| Cod, Atlantic, cooked | 105 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 89 kcal |
| Tilapia, cooked | 128 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 109 kcal |
| Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked | 206 kcal | 3 oz, 85 g | 175 kcal |
Our take: for a calorie budget, cod at 89 calories per 3 oz is the pick, and tilapia at 109 is the best protein-per-calorie trade in the group. Salmon at 175 for the same 3 oz costs almost twice as much as cod, and the extra is fat, so log it as the richer plate it is rather than assuming all fish costs the same. The bigger decision is the pan: baked white fish at 122 per 3 oz becomes 229 fried, which is more than the gap between cod and salmon.
Most popular fish brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Trident Seafoods The Ultimate Fish Stick | 188 cal |
| Cannon Fish Co Swordfish Steak | 147 cal |
| Gorton's Breaded Haddock Fish Fillets | 236 cal |
| Big Y Beer Battered Haddock Fish Fillets | 168 cal |
| Gorton's Crispy Panko Haddock Breaded Fish Fillets | 220 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Fish FAQs
How many calories are in a fish fillet?
A regular baked or broiled white fish fillet weighs 90 g and carries 129 calories. A large fillet of 135 g runs 193. Both come from the USDA record for white fish, mixed species, baked or broiled, which is 143 calories per 100 g with 21.96 g of protein.
How many calories are in 3 oz of fish?
Three ounces of cooked white fish is 85 g and 122 calories, our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure of 143 rather than a USDA serving. That same 3 oz holds about 18.7 g of protein. Fried, the same 3 oz jumps to 229 calories.
How many calories are in fried fish?
Fried fish is 269 calories per 100 g, so a 3 oz piece lands at 229. The batter and the oil add 11.72 g of carbohydrate and push fat to 17.23 g per 100 g, while protein drops to 16.05 g. Baked white fish is 143 per 100 g.
How much protein is in fish?
One 90 g fillet gives 19.8 g of protein, 40 percent of the Daily Value, for 129 calories. Per 100 g, baked white fish is 21.96 g. Tilapia is the highest on this page at 26.15 g per 100 g, and breaded fish sticks the lowest at 11.01 g.
Which fish has the fewest calories?
Canned tuna in water, drained, is the lightest here at 86 calories per 100 g, or 73 for a 3 oz portion. Atlantic cod cooked with dry heat follows at 105 per 100 g, 89 for 3 oz. Farmed Atlantic salmon is the heaviest species listed at 206.
Is fish good for weight loss?
A 90 g baked fillet is 129 calories with 19.8 g of protein and 5.3 g of fat, so the protein-per-calorie math is hard to beat. Cod at 105 calories per 100 g is leaner still. Frying flips it: 269 calories per 100 g for the same fish.
Does frying fish add a lot of calories?
Frying takes the same fish from 143 calories per 100 g to 269, an 88 percent jump, and lifts sodium from 316 mg per 100 g to 399. A crumb coating on baked fish is gentler at 166 per 100 g. The fish underneath barely changes; the coating and the oil do.
How much fish should I eat in a week?
The FDA and EPA advise 8 to 12 ounces of fish a week for most adults, which is two or three servings. At 143 calories per 100 g that works out to roughly 325 to 485 calories of baked white fish across the whole week, our own arithmetic from the USDA figure.
Similar foods
- Toor Dal — 348 cal per cup
- Lasagna — 286 cal per piece
- Shrimp Pad Thai — 294 cal per cup
- Chicken Chow Mein — 288 cal per cup
- Half And Half — 20 cal per tbsp
- Snow Cone — 256 cal per snow cone
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the plate and BodyPal counts the fillet for you, coating and all.
