Seafood
Salmon
One portion covers a large share of your weekly omega-3 and delivers vitamin D — a nutrient almost no other food supplies in useful amounts.
Salmon vs mackerel: which has more omega-3?
Mackerel beats salmon on both omega-3 and vitamin D. Factor in price and the gap widens further.
Seafood
Mackerel
100 g of mackerel carries more EPA and DHA than salmon. Factor in the price and it is the best-value omega-3 fish there is.
Salmon — Leads on
- Protein
- Potassium
Mackerel — Leads on
- Omega-3
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Selenium
Nutrition side by side
Per 100 g edible portion. Only rows where both have a figure are shown, and no winner is marked for items like calories or sugars where more is not better.
Basis for these figures
- Salmon
- Per 100 g of raw farmed Atlantic salmon. A fillet portion usually runs 150–200 g. Cooking drives off water, so the same weight of cooked salmon shows somewhat higher protein than this table.
- Mackerel
- Per 100 g of raw Atlantic mackerel. A fillet is roughly 100 g. Grilling drives off water and fat, so what reaches the plate weighs less than this. Salted mackerel carries added sodium on top of these figures.
| Nutrition | Salmon | Mackerel |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 208 kcal | 205 kcal |
| Protein | 20.4 g | 18.6 g |
| Fat | 13.4 g | 13.9 g |
| Omega-3 | 2.2 g | 2.6 g |
| Vitamin D | 11 µg | 16 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 3.2 µg | 8.7 µg |
| Potassium | 363 mg | 314 mg |
| Selenium | 24 µg | 44 µg |
Bottom line
Omega-3 makes people think of salmon, but the numbers favour mackerel. EPA and DHA run 2.6 g per 100 g against salmon's 2.2 g, and vitamin D is 16 µg against 11 µg. Both are the reasons people buy salmon — and mackerel has more of each.
Add price and the gap grows. Almost no fish beats mackerel on omega-3 per unit of money.
Salmon's advantages lie elsewhere. It is milder, which widens what you can cook with it, it is easier to eat raw, and it forms histamine more slowly, so storage is less demanding. Mackerel left at room temperature develops histamine that cooking will not destroy, which makes freshness genuinely important.
On nutrition alone, mackerel. On ease of handling, salmon. If the goal is fish twice a week, alternating the two is the sensible answer.