Every 100 kcal of mussels brings 13.8 g of protein. On that measure it ranks 84th of the 121 seafood in this database and 174th of all 796 foods on the site. Measured by weight instead, its 23.8 g per 100 g ranks 50th in its group.
About 55% of the calories in mussels 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.
Weight for weight, mussels has 5.3 g of protein for each gram of fat (23.8 g against 4.48 g per 100 g).
Set against ahi tuna (raw), another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (ahi tuna (raw) has 20.7 g per 3 oz raw).
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 quoted here is measured by weight at 85 g, and it covers about 40% of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for protein.
Serving sizes
Protein in common portions of mussels
Protein and calories in Mussels for 100 g, the site serving and USDA household portions.
Portion
Weight
Protein
Calories
100 g
100 g
23.8 g
172 kcal
3 oz cooked (serving used here)
85 g
20.2 g
146 kcal
The USDA record lists no other household measure for this food; protein and calories scale from the per-100 g figures.
Amino acids
Essential amino acids in mussels
The nine essential amino acids in Mussels, per 100 g, per serving and per gram of protein.
Amino acid
Per 100 g
Per serving
mg per g protein
leucine
1.68 g
1.43 g
71
lysine
1.78 g
1.51 g
75
valine
1.04 g
0.88 g
44
isoleucine
1.04 g
0.88 g
44
threonine
1.02 g
0.87 g
43
phenylalanine
0.853 g
0.73 g
36
methionine
0.537 g
0.46 g
23
histidine
0.457 g
0.39 g
19
tryptophan
0.267 g
0.23 g
11
Per-100 g values are the amino acid analysis on the USDA record. The serving and per-gram-of-protein columns are arithmetic on those values; they are not a protein quality score.
SampleWhat goal trends look like after a week
109 g
Average per logged day
4 of 7
Days goal met
71%
Complete-protein share
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Sample figures for one made-up week against a 110 g goal, not your data. Red bars met the goal. Your own log fills this in with Premium.
23.8 g. The 3 oz cooked serving used on this page weighs 85 g and so carries 20.2 g.
How much protein do you get per 100 calories of mussels?
13.8 g. That figure divides its 23.8 g of protein per 100 g by its 172 kcal per 100 g, so it does not depend on serving size.
Is the protein in mussels complete?
Yes. The protein in mussels supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
What share of the protein Daily Value is one serving of mussels?
About 40%. One 3 oz cooked serving has 20.2 g, and the FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g.
Figures from USDA FoodData Central record #174217 (Mollusks, mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat), SR Legacy data. USDA data is in the public domain. Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.