Yellowtail: a selenium-rich fish whose real risk is how it was kept cold

Almost nobody has studied people eating yellowtail itself, so most of the science on this page is about fish in general. The strongest piece is a meta-analysis of trials in 1,074 children aged 2 to 14, where eating fish raised blood vitamin D by 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI 1.73 to 6.43), and only vitamin D could be pooled at all. In one open-label trial in 106 adults with high blood lipids, fresh trout twice a week for 8 weeks lowered LDL by about 23 points. Omega-3 capsules at 2 g a day raised it by about 19, and the abstract does not give the units. For yellowtail by name, USDA lists 36.5 mcg of selenium per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw, 66 percent of the Daily Value, plus 1.3 mcg of vitamin B12, from a single mixed-species legacy record with no measured spread. The documented risks with this fish are histamine poisoning when it was not kept cold, and fish allergy, which people with suspected fish allergy report to yellowtail.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA puts raw yellowtail at 36.5 mcg of selenium, 1.3 mcg of vitamin B12 and 23.1 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single legacy record with no sample range. — USDA SR Legacy record for Fish, yellowtail, mixed species, raw (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Selenium 36.5 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (66% DV), vitamin B12 1.3 mcg (54% DV), protein 23.14 g (46% DV); the cooked record gives 46.8 mcg selenium and 29.67 g protein

What your body absorbs

• In a controlled trial of 71 volunteers, eating cooked salmon raised serum EPA by 129% on 1.2 g a day of omega-3, more than cod liver oil did on 3.0 g a day. — 71 volunteers in five groups, 400 g smoked salmon, cooked salmon or cooked cod per week, 1 tbsp (15 mL) a day cod liver oil, or no supplement, for 8 weeks (n = 71) Evidence C source
  Serum EPA up 129% and DHA up 45% with cooked salmon (1.2 g/d EPA+DHA) against 106% and 25% with cod liver oil (3.0 g/d)

What cooking and storage change

• FDA guidance says parasites in fish meant to be eaten raw are killed by freezing at -20°C (-4°F) or below for 7 days, or at -35°C (-31°F) until solid and then 15 hours, and that heating fish enough to kill bacteria also kills parasites. — fish intended to be eaten raw or undercooked (US seafood industry guidance) Evidence E source
  -4 °F (-20°C) for 7 days, or -31 °F (-35°C) until solid plus 15 hours at -31 °F (-35°C), or plus 24 hours at -4 °F (-20°C), kills parasites
• Baking keeps most of the vitamin B12 in fish: the USDA retention table keeps 85% in baked fatty finfish and 90% in baked lean finfish. — USDA retention factors for the group Finfish and Shellfish Products, the group yellowtail belongs to by its own USDA record Evidence E source
  Vitamin B12 85% retained for finfish over 5% fat baked without drippings (Retn_Code 2451), 90% for finfish under 5% fat baked without drippings (Retn_Code 2301), 95% for frozen finfish fried (Retn_Code 2601)

What it does to your health

• In an RCT on 106 adults with high blood lipids, about 8.8 oz (250 g) of fresh fish twice a week for 8 weeks lowered LDL by about 23 points, while 2 g a day of omega-3 capsules raised it by about 19. — 106 patients with hyperlipidemia randomized, 95 analyzed, fresh trout twice weekly or 2 g/day omega-3 capsules for 8 weeks (n = 106) Evidence B source
  LDL change -22.75 +/- 27.28 with fish vs +18.7 +/- 24.97 with capsules, P < 0.001; HDL rose more with fish
• In children, a meta-analysis of trials found eating fish raised blood vitamin D by about 4 nmol/L, a small gain, with no clear effect on other micronutrients. — children aged 2 to 14, seven studies of which six randomized, 1,074 participants in the vitamin D pooling (n = 1074) Evidence A source
  25(OH)D pooled mean difference 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI 1.73-6.43) favoring fish; other biomarkers largely nonsignificant
• Observational data link eating more fish with about 21% lower risk of depression, including depression in pregnancy, across 35 studies. — 35 observational study articles (44 studies), adults and pregnant women (n = 35 articles) Evidence C source
  RR 0.79 (95% CI 0.73-0.86) overall, RR 0.78 (0.69-0.89) for pregnancy-related depression; 6% lower risk per 15 g/day

Safety, limits and interactions

• Yellowtail can cause histamine fish poisoning: in a 2016 Seoul school outbreak, 55 of 1,017 people fell ill after yellowtail steak holding 293 mg/kg of histamine. — 1,017 elementary school members in Seoul who ate a school fish lunch, case-control investigation (n = 1017) Evidence C source
  55 ill (5.4%); yellowtail steak odds ratio 9.24 (95% CI 1.22-69.91); leftover histamine 293 mg/kg against a 200 mg/kg limit; flushing in 100%, median onset 40 minutes
• A CDC outbreak report linked Pacific amberjack, also sold as yellowtail, to scombroid poisoning in ten people, with leftover fish at 257 to 430 mg% histamine. — nine restaurant customers and one employee in Alabama and Tennessee, December 1985 to January 1986 (n = 10) Evidence C source
  19 of 20 leftover subsamples with histamine 257-430 mg%; onset 10-90 minutes after eating, median 23 minutes
• Across 103 histamine poisoning incidents, the implicated food held on average about 1,100 mg/kg of histamine, mostly in tuna and marlin-type fish. — 55 reports of 103 histamine poisoning incidents published 1959 to 2013 (n = 103 incidents) Evidence C source
  Mean histamine 1107.21 mg/kg (CI 422.62-2900.78), I2 100%

Who this works differently for

• Among 105 South African volunteers with suspected fish allergy, 21.9% reported reactions to yellowtail, second only to hake. — 105 volunteer subjects with suspected fish allergy in the Western Cape, recruited by press advertising (n = 105) Evidence C source
  Reactions reported to hake 24.8%, yellowtail 21.9%, salmon 15.2%, mackerel 15.2%

What is still unknown

• A reaction after eating yellowtail can come from the Anisakis parasite rather than the fish: in two Japanese cases, skin tests to the seafood were negative and Anisakis IgE was class 5 and 6. — 2 adult Japanese patients with immediate allergic reactions after seafood (n = 2) Evidence C source
  ImmunoCAP class 5 and 6 for Anisakis; skin prick tests negative for suspected seafoods

The bottom line

Omega-3 from fish flesh seems to be absorbed well. In a non-randomized trial of 71 volunteers over 8 weeks, cooked salmon at 1.2 g a day of EPA and DHA raised serum EPA by 129 percent, more than cod liver oil did at 3.0 g a day. The groups held only 13 to 15 people each. Baking keeps most of the vitamin B12: the USDA table keeps 85 percent in baked fatty finfish and 90 percent in lean, factors set for the fish group in 1975 and not for yellowtail by name. How much selenium and protein survive cooking is not in that table. Observational data link eating more fish with a 21 percent lower risk of depression (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.86) across 35 study articles, many of them cross-sectional. That is an association with fish in general. Who should be careful. Yellowtail is one of the fish that can cause histamine poisoning. In a 2016 Seoul school outbreak, 55 of 1,017 people who ate the fish lunch fell ill, and all of them had eaten yellowtail steak (odds ratio 9.24, 95% CI 1.22 to 69.91, one outbreak with a very wide interval). The leftover steak held 293 mg/kg of histamine against an allowed 200 mg/kg, every patient had flushing, and the median onset was 40 minutes. A 1986 CDC report tied Pacific amberjack, also sold as yellowtail, to ten cases, with 19 of 20 leftover samples at 257 to 430 mg% histamine, though only four of the ten were interviewed in detail. Across 103 poisoning incidents the implicated fish held about 1,107 mg/kg on average, mostly tuna and marlin-type fish, with reports that differed wildly. Histamine forms when fish is poorly chilled, so this is a handling problem more than a feature of the species. Histamine is not destroyed by cooking or canning, so cooking a fish that was kept warm does not make it safe, and the cold chain is the whole defense. Among 105 South African volunteers with suspected fish allergy, 21.9 percent reported reactions to yellowtail, second only to hake at 24.8 percent. Those were self-reported reactions in a self-selected group, and only seven people had a double-blind challenge. A reaction after yellowtail is not always fish allergy. In two Japanese cases the skin tests to the seafood were negative and Anisakis IgE was class 5 and 6, which shows the parasite can be the cause but not how often. This page holds no card on how freezing or cooking deals with Anisakis in fish eaten raw. This page has no measurement of mercury in yellowtail and no study of it in pregnancy or alongside medicines, so it cannot say how yellowtail fits fish advice for pregnancy or young children. The fish findings above for children and for depression in pregnancy are about fish in general, not this one.

Sources

1. ylt-r8-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Fish, yellowtail, mixed species, raw (FDC 175163, SR Legacy, Finfish and Shellfish Products): selenium 36.5 mcg per 100 g = 66% DV; vitamin B12 1.3 mcg = 54% DV; protein 23.14 g = 46% DV; range over 2 records selenium 36.5-46.8, protein 23.14-29.67; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 175163 · checked 2026-10-02
2. ylt-r8-03 · controlled clinical trial in humans
   The serum content of EPA and DHA before and after intervention revealed a higher rise in EPA and DHA in the cooked salmon group (129% rise in EPA and 45% rise in DHA) as compared with CLO (106 and 25%, respectively) despite an intake of EPA and DHA in the CLO group of 3.0 g/d compared with 1.2 g/d in the cooked salmon group.
   Lipids, 2006 · checked 2026-10-02
3. sf-fpf-r1-10 · agency advice
   Freezing and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours are sufficient to kill parasites. ... The process of heating raw fish sufficiently to kill bacterial pathogens is also sufficient to kill parasites.
   FDA, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 5: Parasites · checked 2026-10-08
4. ylt-r8-02 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:2451 FINFISH,>5%FAT,BAKED,WO/DRIPPINGS, group Finfish and Shellfish Products: vitamin_b12_ug 85% retained, vitamin_b6_mg 90%, thiamin_mg 95%, zinc_mg 100%; USDA-RETN-R6:2301 FINFISH,<5%FAT,BAKED,WO/DRIPPINGS: vitamin_b12_ug 90% retained; USDA-RETN-R6:2601 FINFISH(FROZEN),FRIED: vitamin_b12_ug 95% retained
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Codes 2451, 2301 and 2601 · checked 2026-10-02
5. ylt-r8-04 · randomized controlled trial
   LDL level was increased in the supplementation group, while it was significantly reduced in the dietary-fish group (+18.7 ± 24.97 vs. -22.75 ± 27.28, P < 0.001).
   Nutr Diabetes, 2017 · checked 2026-10-02
6. ylt-r8-05 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   Meta-analysis was possible only for vitamin D (25(OH)D, 1,074 participants), showing a pooled mean difference of 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI: 1.73-6.43) favoring fish consumption; sensitivity analysis (850 participants) yielded 3.46 nmol/L (95% CI: 1.03-5.65), with no heterogeneity.
   Front Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
7. ylt-r8-11 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   A significant inverse association was found between fish consumption and depression risk (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.73 to 0.86). A similar association was observed for pregnancy-related depression (RR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.69-0.89).
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
8. ylt-r8-06 · case-control outbreak investigation
   Fifty-five (5.4%) of 1,017 school members who consumed fish for lunch fell ill. The principal symptoms were flushing (100%) and headache (72.7%); the median incubation period was 40 minutes. All had consumed yellowtail steak (odds ratio, 9.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-69.91). Leftover steak had an elevated histamine level (293 mg/kg), higher than the allowed 200 mg/kg.
   J Korean Med Sci, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
9. ylt-r8-07 · public health outbreak report
   Analysis of the leftover fish by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed 19 of 20 subsamples had markedly elevated levels of histamine (257-430 mg%).
   CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 1986 · checked 2026-10-02
10. ylt-r8-08 · meta-analysis of outbreak reports
    histamine mean concentration in poisoning samples was 1107.21 mg/kg with confidence interval for the meta-mean of 422.62-2900.78 mg/kg
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
11. ylt-r8-09 · diagnostic study in humans
    The four most common bony fish species to cause reactions were hake (24.8%), yellowtail (21.9%), salmon (15.2%) and mackerel (15.2%).
    S Afr Med J, 1997 · checked 2026-10-02
12. ylt-r8-10 · case series
    In case 2, after ingestion of flatfish and yellowtail, pruritus and dyspnea occurred. Result of ImmunoCAP was class 6 for Anisakis. ... In both cases, skin prick tests were negative for suspected seafoods.
    Arerugi, 2014 · checked 2026-10-02