Salmon vs steelhead trout: which has more protein?
Full comparison · Protein · Calories · Healthier
Salmon and steelhead trout have about the same protein: 24.6 g vs 26.6 g per 3.5 oz (100 g). The difference is per calorie: 16.1 g vs 14 g per 100 calories.
USDA FoodData Central.
| Salmon | Steelhead trout | |
|---|---|---|
| Per 3.5 oz (100 g) | 24.6 g | 26.6 g |
| Per serving | 27.9 g in 4 oz (113 g) | 30.2 g in 4 oz (113 g) |
| Per 100 calories | 16.1 g | 14 g |
| To get 30 g of protein | 4.3 oz (122 g), about 1.1 × 4 oz | 4 oz (113 g), about 1.0 × 4 oz |
Protein per calorie
Per 100 calories, salmon gives 16.1 g of protein and steelhead trout 14 g. This is the number that matters when you are fitting protein into a calorie budget, and it can rank foods differently from grams per 3.5 oz (100 g).
What the numbers don't tell you
Can steelhead stand in for salmon at dinner? On our numbers, yes, against the pink salmon in our table. Cooked, the two are close on protein, 24.6 g against 26.6 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the trout carries more fat, 8.5 g against 5.3 g, and about four times the iron.
The table leaves out omega-3, the reason many buy these fish. USDA's survey figure for baked or broiled trout is 0.91 g of EPA plus DHA per 3.5 oz (100 g). Salmon fillets in one trial carried 0.9 to 2.1 g, depending on the fish's feed, and two portions a week for 18 weeks raised blood omega-3 by the same amount either way.
FDA and EPA list both salmon and trout among the Best Choices, the lower-mercury fish, and advise 2 to 3 servings of 4 oz (113 g) a week in pregnancy and breastfeeding. The list says trout, not steelhead by name. In pregnancy, smoked salmon or trout from the fridge belongs only in a cooked dish, because of Listeria. Eat trout cooked: one case report describes a fish tapeworm after raw trout. In lab tests salmon and trout allergens cross-reacted, so a salmon allergy does not make trout a safe swap.
Either fish works as your weekly oily fish. We hold no data on taste or price.
Fillet size changes your protein more than the choice of fish. In USDA's survey portions, a regular trout fillet weighs about 3.2 oz (90 g) and gives about 22 g of protein. A regular grilled salmon fillet weighs 4.9 oz (140 g), already more than the 4 oz (113 g) serving in this table, and at our table's figure that is about 34 g of protein.
Evidence behind this note
- Level E Baked or broiled trout provides 216 calories, 24.8 g protein, 19.8 mcg vitamin D, 4.81 mcg vitamin B12, 29.3 mcg selenium and 0.91 g EPA plus DHA per 3.5 oz (100 g). USDA FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31, Fish, trout, baked or broiled, fdc_id 2706303
- Level B Salmon fed on rapeseed oil carried less than half the omega-3 in its flesh compared with salmon fed on fish oil. After eighteen weeks of eating it twice a week, people's blood omega-3 had risen by the same amount either way. European Journal of Nutrition, 2021
- Level E The FDA and EPA list both salmon and tilapia as Best Choices and advise 2 to 3 servings of 4 ounces a week during pregnancy and breastfeeding. FDA/EPA, Questions and Answers on Advice about Eating Fish
- Level E FDA and EPA name salmon among the Best Choices fish that are even lower in mercury, the only fish children should be fed to reach the higher amounts of the Dietary Guidelines. US FDA and EPA, Questions & Answers from the FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish
- Level E FDA advises pregnant women to avoid refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon or cod labeled nova-style, lox, kippered or smoked, unless it is in a cooked dish such as a casserole. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood is okay. US FDA, Listeria (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- Level D A case report describes a 19-year-old who developed a fish tapeworm infection with falling vitamin B12 two months after eating raw trout. J Infect Chemother, 2025
- Level C Among 39 fish allergic adults, IgE cross-reactivity ran between mackerel and anchovy, so tolerating one fish species says little about the next. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol, 1996
- Level E A regular 90 g trout fillet supplies about 22 g protein, 17.8 mcg vitamin D and 0.8 g EPA plus DHA. USDA FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31, Fish, trout, baked or broiled, fdc_id 2706303
- Level E A regular grilled salmon fillet weighs 4.9 oz (140 grams) and a large one 210. The four-ounce serving regulators talk about is 113 grams, so an ordinary fillet is already more than one serving. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, FoodData Central
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Salmon: wild against farmed, measured rather than assumed
- Steelhead trout: a fatty fish with few trials of its own
What the studies say
Rankings and guides
- Which foods are highest in protein?
- Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
- How much protein do you need per day?
- Protein: what it does and how much you need
- Protein: top food sources and Daily Value
- Salmon: full nutrition facts
More comparisons
Where the numbers come from
- Salmon: USDA FoodData Central, Fish, salmon, pink, cooked, dry heat, FDC ID 172001 · full profile · all forms of salmon
- Steelhead trout: USDA FoodData Central, Fish, trout, mixed species, cooked, dry heat, FDC ID 172004 · all forms of steelhead trout
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.