Salmon (cooked) vs Tilapia (cooked)

The short answer

Both cooked fish. Salmon is much fattier — rich in omega-3 and vitamin D; tilapia is lean, mild and lower in calories with more protein per calorie. Salmon for the healthy fats, tilapia for a light, inexpensive white fish.

Salmon (cooked) and Tilapia (cooked), per 100 g and per portion. A gap means USDA has no value for it — not zero.

	Salmon (cooked) · per 100 g	Tilapia (cooked) · per 100 g
Calories	182	128
Protein	25.4 g	26.2 g
Fat	8.1 g	2.7 g
Carbs	0 g	0 g
Fiber	0 g	0 g
Sugars	no data	0 g
Sodium	56 mg	56 mg
Vitamins & minerals — where both carry data
Calcium	15 mg	14 mg
Folate	29 µg	6 µg
Iron	1 mg	0.7 mg
Magnesium	37 mg	34 mg
Niacin	10.1 mg	4.7 mg
Phosphorus	256 mg	204 mg
Potassium	628 mg	380 mg
Riboflavin	0.5 mg	0.1 mg
Thiamin	0.3 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin A	13 µg	0 µg
Vitamin B12	3.1 µg	1.9 µg
Vitamin B6	0.9 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin C	0 mg	0 mg
Vitamin D	no data	3.7 µg
Vitamin E	no data	0.8 mg
Vitamin K	no data	0.9 µg
Zinc	0.8 mg	0.4 mg

At equal calories (per 100 kcal)

Protein — Salmon (cooked): 14 g, Tilapia (cooked): 20.4 g · Fiber — Salmon (cooked): 0 g, Tilapia (cooked): 0 g · Sodium — Salmon (cooked): 30.8 mg, Tilapia (cooked): 43.8 mg

Generic USDA foods (not brands), so both carry micronutrients. Numbers are per 100 g unless the portion toggle is on. USDA FoodData Central, as of 2026-08-12.

Common questions

Is Salmon (cooked) or Tilapia (cooked) better?

Neither is “better” on its own — it depends what you want from it. The table shows where each is higher; the short answer says when each one fits. Compare on the same basis (per 100 g) and pick for your dish and your goal.

How were these numbers worked out?

Straight from USDA FoodData Central for the generic form of each food, per 100 g. We show the portion view too, but portion sizes differ between foods, so per 100 g is the fair comparison.

Why does one column say “no data”?

Because USDA has no value for that nutrient in that food — so we leave it blank rather than print a 0 that would read as “none”. A real zero from USDA still shows as 0.