Cod is the lean fish and salmon is the oily one — that single difference explains almost everything. Per 100 g raw, salmon carries 197 calories and 13.1 g of fat; cod carries 82 calories and 0.67 g. Protein is much closer than the calorie gap suggests: 20.3 g for salmon against 17.8 g for cod.
So you are not choosing between more and less nutrition. You are choosing between fat that carries something — salmon’s fat is where its long-chain omega-3 lives — and a fish that gives you protein with almost nothing else attached.
| Nutrient | Salmon (Atlantic) | Cod |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 197 kcal | 82 kcal |
| Protein | 20.3 g ✓ | 17.81 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total Sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total Fat | 13.1 g | 0.67 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.28 g | 0.13 g ✓ |
| Sodium | 49.5 mg ✓ | 54 mg |
Notable compounds in each
When to choose each
Reach for cod when you want protein at the lowest calorie cost, or a mild white fish that takes a sauce. At 82 calories per 100 g it is one of the leanest foods in the database that is still mostly protein. Reach for salmon when the fat is the point: it is a leading source of long-chain omega-3, which cod has very little of. Cod slightly out-points salmon on potassium, 413 mg against 378 mg.
Salmon vs cod nutrition per 100g
Both figures are per 100 g raw. Neither has carbohydrate or fibre, so protein and fat are the whole story.
A realistic fillet is 120–180 g, so a portion of cod lands around 100–150 calories and the same weight of salmon around 240–350. If you are tracking calories, that gap is the practical difference between them, not anything in the micronutrients.
Common questions
Is cod or salmon healthier? They are good for different reasons. Cod gives you protein with very little fat and very few calories. Salmon gives you long-chain omega-3, which cod barely provides. Most dietary advice points at oily fish like salmon specifically for that reason, while cod is the better everyday lean protein.
How much protein is in cod vs salmon? Salmon has 20.3 g per 100 g and cod 17.8 g — close enough that both count as high protein foods. The difference between them is fat, not protein.
How many calories are in salmon vs cod? Salmon is 197 calories per 100 g raw and cod is 82 — salmon has roughly two and a half times as many, almost entirely from its fat.
Does cod have omega-3? Only a little. Cod is a white fish and stores its oil in the liver rather than the flesh, which is why cod liver oil exists as a product and cod fillet is not considered an omega-3 source. Salmon stores it in the flesh.
