Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of mussels contains 20.2 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 40% of the 50 g Daily Value.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is very protein-dense.
| Serving | 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 20.2 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 23.8 g |
| Calories per serving | 146 kcal |
| Protein density | 55% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 40% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Seafood |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #174217 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of mussels contains 20.2 grams of protein (23.8 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 40% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 55% of the calories in mussels come from protein, which makes it very protein-dense - close to the practical ceiling for a whole food. Foods in this band are the ones that let you raise your protein intake without raising your calorie intake much at all.
Among the 121 seafood in the database, mussels ranks 47th by protein per serving, and 148th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against ahi tuna (raw), another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (ahi tuna (raw) has 20.7 g per 3 oz raw).
It is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own. The serving above is measured by weight at 85 g. The per-100 g figure lets you compare it directly against any other food here, whatever its serving.
Source: USDA FoodData Central #174217 - "Mollusks, mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat" (SR Legacy, published 4/1/2019). Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.
Quick answers
Mussels has 23.8 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 20.2 g.
Yes. Mussels is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
A 3 oz cooked serving of mussels contains 20.2 g of protein, about 40% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Mussels is a very good source of protein, and about 55% of its calories come from protein, which makes it very protein-dense. Set against ahi tuna (raw), another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (ahi tuna (raw) has 20.7 g per 3 oz raw).
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