Seafood Serving Sizes (2024)

Seafood Serving Sizes (1)

How Much Seafood Should I Eat and How Often?

The FDA recommends eating a minimum of 8oz of seafood per week. But with so many different seafood options, you may be asking yourself, “How much is an average serving of seafood?” One serving of seafood is 4oz after it has been cooked, or about the size of a deck of cards. This means at a minimum you should be eating seafood twice per week with one of those servings being an oily fish such assalmon, as they contain the highest levels of heart-healthy Omega 3’s.

Can I Eat Too Much Seafood?

The short answer is no. As it is not recommended to eat seafood every meal, eating it once a day will not cause any adverse health effects. It is far more healthy to eat seafood every day than it is to eat beef every day. With that being said, you want to keep your consumption of oilyfishsuch as salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovies, or trout to a few times per week. The same thing can be said forshellfishsuch as lobster, shrimp, or clams. When it comes to white fish like cod, flounder, tilapia, or haddock— eat away! You can have as many servings per week as you like.

How Much Seafood Should I Serve?

Whether cooking for yourself, your family, or a crowd; determining how much seafood to serve can be a challenge. Our handy guide will help take the guesswork out of serving and portion sizes for your seafood.

Suggested serving sizes are based on the weight before cooking, keep in mind as the product cooks it will lose some of its weight. We recommend ordering a bit more than you think you will need, especially if you want leftovers or are planning an event.

Whole fishsuch as branzino, snapper, porgy, sea bass, or mullet.

  • One pound per person for an entrée portion.

Fish filletssuch as cod, ocean perch, mackerel, tilapia, or flounder.

  • 6-8oz per person for an entrée portion.
  • 3-4oz per person for an appetizer or starter portion.

Fish steaks and portionssuch as salmon, tuna, halibut, mahi mahi, or monkfish.

  • 6-10oz per person for an entrée portion.
  • 3-4oz per person for an appetizer or starter portion.

Shrimp

  • 8oz per person for an entrée portion.
  • 4oz per person for a starter portion.

Crab

  • 1-1½ pounds of crab legs per person for an entrée portion.
  • 3-4 whole crabs per person for an entrée portion.
  • 4-6oz of crab meat per person for an entrée portion.
  • 2-3oz of crab meat per person for a starter portion.

Lobster

  • 1-1½ pounds of whole lobster per person for an entrée portion.
  • 8oz lobster tails per person for an entrée portion.
  • 6-8oz of lobster meat per person for an entrée portion.
  • 3-4oz of lobster meat per person for a starter portion.

Clams,OystersandMussels

  • 1 pound or 12-18 per person for an entrée portion.
  • ½ pound or 6-10 per person for a starter portion.

Scallops

  • 6-8oz or 4-6 per person for an entrée portion.
  • 3-4oz or 2-3 per person for a starter portion.

Here are some other quick tips:

  • If you are unsure or for any other seafood not listed, a good rule of thumb is to prepare 6-8oz per person for an entrée and 3-4oz per person for a starter portion.
  • Keep in mind that some seafood has parts of it that you may not consume. For example, the shell of a lobster or the bones of whole fish (unless you are making stock). In these instances you will want to account for the meat yield (how much edible meat you get). That’s why we recommend a higher weight when purchasing whole fish vs. fish fillet. You can often find this information on our product pages, but don’t hesitate to reach out tocustomer servicewith any questions that you may have.
  • In general, it also depends on what other food you are serving.When planning for events it is helpful to keep the following rule of thumb in mind. Each adult will typically consume about 1lb of food total and children will consume about ½lb. Often people will consume a bit more during evening events.

Serving Sizes & Recommendations for Children and Pregnant & Nursing Women

Seafood is high in protein and nutrients that can aid in a child’s growth and development. The recommended servings for pregnant & nursing women and children over two years old differ from that of general recommendations. Aside from being high in protein and Omega 3’s, seafood is a good source of the essential nutrient iron and has more vitamin B12 and vitamin D than any other type of food!

Women who are pregnant or nursing

  • No more than one 4oz serving of seafood that tend to be higher in mercury such as tuna, grouper, monkfish, or halibut per week.
  • Between two and three 4oz servings of seafood that is lower in mercury such as fresh salmon, crab, cod, or tilapia per week.
  • It is recommended to avoid seafood with high mercury levels such as marlin, shark, swordfish, or tilefish.

Children over the age of two:

  • 2-3 servings of a variety of seafood per week.
  • For children age 2-4, one serving is 1oz. For children age 4-11 one serving is 4oz.

A full list of recommended seafood to eat and serving sizes for pregnant women and children can be found on theFDA website.

Filed in: About Your Fish, Cooking Seafood, Entertaining with Seafood, Serving Tips

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Seafood Serving Sizes (2024)

FAQs

Seafood Serving Sizes? ›

No more than one 4oz serving of seafood that tend to be higher in mercury such as tuna, grouper, monkfish, or halibut per week. Between two and three 4oz servings of seafood that is lower in mercury such as fresh salmon, crab, cod, or tilapia per week.

What is a serving size of seafood? ›

How big is one serving size of fish? A fish meal serving size is 8 ounces uncooked or about 6 ounces cooked for a 160-pound adult. If you weigh more or less than 160 pounds, add or subtract one ounce to your serving size for each 20-pound difference in body weight.

What is the serving size of fish per person? ›

For adults, a typical serving is 4 ounces of fish, measured before cooking. Our advice is to eat 2 to 3 servings of a variety of cooked fish, or about 8 to 12 ounces, in a week.

How many oz of seafood are recommended? ›

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends: At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children§) per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between 8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from choices that are lower in mercury.

How much seafood should you eat a week? ›

Eating about 8 ounces per week of a variety of seafood, the amount recommended for many adults, as part of a healthy diet, can support health. Some types of fish, such as salmon and trout are also natural sources of vitamin D, a nutrient that many people don't get enough of.

What is a normal serving of shrimp? ›

The recommended shrimp serving per an average person is three ounces. This translates to 11-12 "medium" shrimp, 8-9 "large" shrimp, or just 3 "colossal" shrimp.

How much is 2 servings of seafood? ›

The FDA recommends eating a minimum of 8oz of seafood per week. But with so many different seafood options, you may be asking yourself, “How much is an average serving of seafood?” One serving of seafood is 4oz after it has been cooked, or about the size of a deck of cards.

What is a serving size of salmon? ›

A typical serving size for salmon is between 3 oz to 4 oz for adults. The FDA and Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating at least 8 oz of fish per week, which is around two or more servings of salmon or other fish.

How many pounds of seafood per person? ›

Recommended Portions

We recommend 1 lb. of raw fish per person when serving whole fish. We recommend 6-8 ounces raw weight per person when serving fish fillets and steaks. We recommend 8 ounces raw weight per person when serving various seafood items.

How much fish food is enough? ›

A general rule of thumb is to feed only what your fish can consume in 2 to 3 minutes. When in doubt, start with a tiny quantity and observe how fast your fish consume it. If it is completely consumed in less than 2 minutes, give them a little more.

What is a 3 oz serving of fish? ›

What a Serving Size of Meat and Fish Looks Like. The standard serving size for any variety of meat or fish is 3 ounces. Rather than weighing this out, the best visual indicators of this amount is roughly the size of the palm of your hand or the size of a standard deck of playing cards.

How much shrimp is too much in one sitting? ›

In general, you can eat shrimp every day as long as you eat them in moderation. The optimal amount is 3-4 ounces per person, which is equivalent to about seven medium-sized shrimp. However, most doctors recommend consuming seafood twice a week, which is enough to get the desired benefits.

What is the best seafood to eat everyday? ›

The top 10 healthy fish to include in your diet:
  1. Salmon. Salmon is versatile and one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acid, which is essential as the body cannot make it on its own so it must be obtained through food. ...
  2. Mackerel. ...
  3. Cod. ...
  4. Trout. ...
  5. Sardines. ...
  6. Crab. ...
  7. Haddock. ...
  8. Tuna.
Mar 27, 2023

What is 1 reason why you should consume 8oz of seafood a week? ›

Here are a few reasons why eating seafood is an important health choice.
  • It Reduces Risk of Heart Disease. ...
  • It Provides Better Brain and Eye Health for Babies. ...
  • It'll Help You Live Longer. ...
  • It's Full of Things Your Body Needs. ...
  • It's Low in Fat and Calories.

What fish has no mercury in them? ›

Choose fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury such as salmon, trout, tilapia, cod, sole, sardines, shrimp, oysters, and other shellfish. For the most health benefits, choose fatty fish such as salmon, trout, herring, chub mackerel, and sardines. o These fish have healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

How much is 3 ounces of fish? ›

3 oz of grilled fish is the size of a checkbook. A medium apple, peach, or orange is about the size of a tennis ball. For cut fruit and vegetables such as watermelon, broccoli, or peas use cups. Also, for small fruit like strawberries or grapes, please use cups.

How much is 2 ounces of fish? ›

A serving of meat, poultry, or fish is 2 to 3 ounces. This looks like the size of a deck of cards or the palm of the hand. A serving of natural cheese is 1½ ounces. This looks like the size of 3 to 4 dice.

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