A 3-ounce cooked serving of cod contains about 90 calories, making it one of the leanest protein sources you can eat. With nearly 20 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat in that same serving, cod delivers an exceptional protein-to-calorie ratio that few other foods can match.
Calories by Serving Size
The FDA lists cod at 90 calories per 3-ounce (84g) cooked serving. That 3-ounce portion is roughly the size of a deck of cards or a checkbook. Most cod fillets you buy at a grocery store weigh between 5 and 8 ounces raw, but raw meat loses about 25% of its weight during cooking. So a 4-ounce raw fillet shrinks to approximately 3 ounces once it’s cooked.
Here’s how the calories scale with portion size:
- 3 oz cooked (standard serving): ~90 calories
- 4 oz cooked: ~120 calories
- 6 oz cooked (a typical restaurant fillet): ~180 calories
Atlantic Cod vs. Pacific Cod
The two species you’ll find at most fish counters are Atlantic cod and Pacific cod. They’re nutritionally similar, but Atlantic cod is slightly higher in calories and protein per serving. A 3-ounce cooked portion of Atlantic cod has 89 calories and 19.4 grams of protein, while the same weight of Pacific cod comes in around 77 calories with 16.9 grams of protein. Both contain under 1 gram of fat.
Pacific cod has a notable edge in certain nutrients. It provides significantly more vitamin B12 (87% of your daily value per serving versus 37% for Atlantic), more phosphorus, and more potassium. Atlantic cod is lower in sodium. In terms of taste, Pacific cod tends to be slightly milder and softer, while Atlantic cod has a firmer texture. For calorie-counting purposes, the difference between the two is small enough that either one works.
How Cooking Method Changes the Count
Those calorie numbers assume you’re baking, broiling, steaming, or poaching the fish without added fat. The moment you introduce oil, butter, or batter, the numbers shift dramatically. Every pat of butter adds 36 calories and 4 grams of fat. A tablespoon of olive oil adds about 120 calories. Deep-fried cod, like what you’d get in fish and chips, can easily double or triple the calorie count of a plain fillet because the batter absorbs oil during cooking.
If you’re watching calories, baking or broiling cod with a light seasoning keeps you closest to that baseline 90 calories per serving. Pan-searing in a small amount of oil adds roughly 30 to 60 calories depending on how much oil the fish absorbs. Steaming and poaching add nothing.
Protein and Nutritional Value
Cod’s real selling point is its protein density. At roughly 19 grams of protein per 90-calorie serving, you’re getting more protein per calorie than chicken breast, beef, or eggs. Research comparing fish protein to other animal proteins has found that fish protein may offer advantages for weight management. In animal studies, subjects fed fish protein gained less weight than those fed dairy-based protein on equivalent diets.
Beyond protein, cod is a solid source of several key nutrients. A single raw fillet of Atlantic cod provides about 76 micrograms of selenium (more than a full day’s requirement), 469 milligrams of phosphorus (supporting bone health), and 2.1 micrograms of vitamin B12 (close to a full day’s worth). Cod is also one of the better dietary sources of iodine, a mineral many people don’t get enough of that supports thyroid function.
Omega-3 Content
Cod contains omega-3 fatty acids, but far less than fattier fish like salmon or mackerel. A 3-ounce serving of cooked Pacific cod provides about 100 milligrams of DHA and 40 milligrams of EPA. For comparison, the same serving of salmon delivers roughly 10 times that amount. Cod is a lean fish, meaning it stores most of its fat in the liver rather than the flesh. That’s why cod liver oil exists as a supplement, while the fillets themselves stay so low in fat and calories.
Mercury and Serving Recommendations
The FDA classifies cod as a “Best Choice” fish, its lowest mercury category. You can safely eat 2 to 3 servings per week. A serving is roughly the size of your palm, or about 4 ounces for pregnant or breastfeeding women. This makes cod one of the safest fish to eat regularly, alongside options like tilapia, shrimp, and salmon.
How Cod Compares to Other Fish
Cod sits at the very low end of the calorie spectrum for fish and seafood. For context, a 3-ounce cooked serving of salmon runs about 175 calories, while tilapia comes in around 110. Shrimp is comparable to cod at roughly 85 calories per serving. The trade-off is that lower-calorie fish like cod and shrimp deliver fewer omega-3s than fattier options.
If your goal is maximizing protein while minimizing calories, cod is hard to beat. Its protein-to-calorie ratio, low mercury levels, and mild flavor that takes on almost any seasoning make it a practical choice for regular meals. A 6-ounce cooked fillet gives you nearly 40 grams of protein for about 180 calories, roughly the same protein as a chicken breast with fewer calories.