A typical 3 oz cooked serving of whitefish contains 20.8 grams of protein (24.5 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 57% of the calories in whitefish 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, whitefish ranks 38th by protein per serving, and 133rd out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against smoked haddock, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.6 g less protein (smoked haddock has 21.4 g per 3 oz).
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 #174246 - "Fish, whitefish, mixed species, 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
Whitefish protein FAQ
How much protein is in whitefish per 100 g?
Whitefish has 24.5 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 20.8 g.
Is whitefish a complete protein?
Yes. Whitefish 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 whitefish cover?
A 3 oz cooked serving of whitefish contains 20.8 g of protein, about 42% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Is whitefish a good source of protein?
Whitefish is a very good source of protein, and about 57% of its calories come from protein, which makes it very protein-dense. Set against smoked haddock, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.6 g less protein (smoked haddock has 21.4 g per 3 oz).