14 Of The Fish Highest In Protein - Weight Loss Made Practical

Protein is an essential nutrient for human health. This list of fish high in protein can certainly help you reach your daily goals.

Protein is used, among other things, to build and repair muscle and other tissues. You literally can’t survive if you don’t consume enough of this nutrient. Besides other nutrients, fish also generally contain a nice amount of protein.

Is fish a good source of protein?

The amounts of protein in fish per 100 grams vary a lot from type of fish to type of fish. Even the lowest options on this list contain a lot of protein compared to other types of food. Even compared to animal meats fish go head to head in protein content.

On top of that fish generally contains high amounts of other valuable nutrients.

You do have to keep in mind that some fish contain a substance called mercury which can cause negative side effects if consumed in big amounts (1). Especially pregnant women, nursing women, and people with children need to keep an eye on the amount of mercury in food.

Some examples of fish high in mercury include king mackerel, bigeye tuna, marlin, and tilefish (2). By varying your diet with other meats and protein sources you can avoid consuming too much mercury.

Not all protein is the same, it can be made of different amino acids. These are smaller building blocks of protein with varying effects. In general it is a good idea to get nutrients like protein from a variety of food groups.

Below you can find a list of fish ranked from highest to lowest in protein per 100 grams. This ranking does not take into account total calories. If you are interested in a ranking like that you can check out the list of the best fish for weight loss.

The differences between protein contents between these fish are not very big. Even if your favorite type of fish is a bit lower on this list you can consider it. Part of sticking to a food plan is liking what you eat enough.

Lastly, keep in mind that overdoing with protein isn’t optimal either.

1. Tuna

The first option on this list, tuna, is a very popular type of fish full of protein and other valuable nutrients like vitamin B12.

A mentioned before some types of tuna contain a lot of mercury. The recommendations for how much tuna you can eat vary from person to person and type of tuna to type of tuna.

100 grams of cooked tuna contains (3):

Protein: 29.9 grams
Calories: 184
Fat: 6.3 grams
Vitamin B12: 181% of the DV (Daily Value)
Selenium: 67% of the DV
Niacin: 53% of the DV
Vitamin A: 50% of the DV
Phosphorus: 33% of the DV

And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. If you want to eat more tuna you can find a wide variety of recipes with it. You can also just enjoy a tuna steak on its own with some side dishes.

2. Anchovy

Anchovy is a particularly small kind of fish that is found in both freshwater and saltwater. They are often pickled so you might have to keep an eye on your sodium intake.

100 grams of canned anchovy contains (4):

Protein: 28.9 grams
Calories: 210
Fat: 9.7 grams
Sodium: 153% of the DV (Daily Value)
Niacin: 100% of the DV
Selenium: 97% of the DV
Iron: 26% of the DV
Phosphorus: 25% of the DV

And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. Anchovy is definitely one of the more nutrient-dense fish on this list.

However in the case of certain nutrients more is not always better. For anchovy, the amount of sodium in it may be cause for concern. Consuming too much sodium may cause negative side effects like increased blood pressure because of excess water retention.

3. Halibut

Halibut is a kind of white fish that doesn’t taste too strong. This makes halibut a good option if you don’t like the taste of fish but still want to incorporate seafood into your diet.

100 grams of cooked halibut contains (5):

Protein: 26.7 grams
Calories: 140
Fat: 2.9 grams
Selenium: 67% of the DV (Daily Value)
Niacin: 36% of the DV
Phosphorus: 28% of the DV
Magnesium: 27% of the DV
Vitamin B12: 23% of the DV