Every 100 kcal of tuna salad brings 8.6 g of protein. On that measure it ranks 109th of the 121 seafood in this database and 282nd of all 796 foods on the site. Measured by weight instead, its 16 g per 100 g ranks 108th in its group.
Protein accounts for roughly 34% of the calories in tuna salad, making it moderately protein-dense. The rest comes from fat and carbohydrate, so it adds a solid amount of protein while still carrying real energy - useful when you are eating to a calorie target rather than under one.
Weight for weight, tuna salad has 1.7 g of protein for each gram of fat (16 g against 9.26 g per 100 g).
Set against monkfish, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.6 g more protein (monkfish has 15.8 g per 3 oz cooked).
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 volume at 102.5 g, and it covers about 33% of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for protein.
Mayonnaise adds fat, so protein per calorie is much lower than plain drained tuna.
Serving sizes
Protein in common portions of tuna salad
Protein and calories in Tuna salad for 100 g, the site serving and USDA household portions.
Portion
Weight
Protein
Calories
100 g
100 g
16 g
187 kcal
1/2 cup (serving used here)
102.5 g
16.4 g
192 kcal
3 oz
85 g
13.6 g
159 kcal
1 cup
205 g
32.8 g
383 kcal
Portion weights are the household measures listed on the USDA record; protein and calories scale from the per-100 g figures.
Amino acids
Essential amino acids in tuna salad
The nine essential amino acids in Tuna salad, per 100 g, per serving and per gram of protein.
Amino acid
Per 100 g
Per serving
mg per g protein
leucine
1.29 g
1.32 g
81
lysine
1.46 g
1.5 g
91
valine
0.824 g
0.84 g
52
isoleucine
0.739 g
0.76 g
46
threonine
0.701 g
0.72 g
44
phenylalanine
0.626 g
0.64 g
39
methionine
0.47 g
0.48 g
29
histidine
0.467 g
0.48 g
29
tryptophan
0.18 g
0.18 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.
16 g. The 1/2 cup serving used on this page weighs 102.5 g and so carries 16.4 g.
How much protein do you get per 100 calories of tuna salad?
8.6 g. That figure divides its 16 g of protein per 100 g by its 187 kcal per 100 g, so it does not depend on serving size.
Is the protein in tuna salad complete?
Yes. The protein in tuna salad 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 tuna salad?
About 33%. One 1/2 cup serving has 16.4 g, and the FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g.
Figures from USDA FoodData Central record #175160 (Fish, tuna salad), 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.