A typical 3 oz cooked serving of pink salmon contains 20.9 grams of protein (24.6 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 42% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 64% of the calories in pink salmon come from protein, which makes it extremely 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, pink salmon ranks 35th by protein per serving, and 130th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against shrimp, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (shrimp has 20.4 g per 3 oz cooked).
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 #172001 - "Fish, salmon, pink, cooked, dry 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
Pink salmon protein FAQ
How much protein is in pink salmon per 100 g?
Pink salmon has 24.6 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 20.9 g.
Is pink salmon a complete protein?
Yes. Pink salmon 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.
How much of the Daily Value does a serving of pink salmon cover?
A 3 oz cooked serving of pink salmon contains 20.9 g of protein, about 42% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Is pink salmon a good source of protein?
Pink salmon is a very good source of protein, and about 64% of its calories come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense. Set against shrimp, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (shrimp has 20.4 g per 3 oz cooked).