Calories in mussels

Blue, cooked. 172 kcal (720 kJ) per 100 g. Choose a portion below and every figure on the page updates.

Blue mussels are shellfish that are high in protein and low in fat. Cooked mussel meat has 172 kcal (720 kJ) per 100 g, mostly from its 23.8 g of protein, with about 4.5 g of fat and some carbohydrate stored as glycogen. They are exceptionally rich in vitamin B12, and also very high in selenium, iron and manganese, with a useful amount of omega-3 fats.

Where the energy comes from

Share of total energy contributed by each macronutrient, using the standard 4/4/9 kcal per gram factors:

Things worth knowing

• A 3 oz (85 g) portion of cooked meat has about 146 kcal (612 kJ) and 20 g of protein. Ten mussels yield about 80 g of meat and roughly 138 kcal (576 kJ).
• Raw mussel meat has only about 86 kcal per 100 g. Cooking drives out water, so the same mussels weigh less but are about twice as energy-dense per 100 g.
• A 3 oz portion supplies about 20 µg of vitamin B12, more than eight times the Daily Value, plus about 76 µg of selenium and 5.7 mg of iron.
• Cooked mussels provide about 0.78 g of omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) per 100 g. Sauces made with butter, cream or wine add energy beyond the figures here.

Converting these figures

One 3 oz (meat) of mussels is 146 kcal, which is 612 kJ. To convert any other figure, divide kilojoules by 4.184 for calories, or use the converter on the home page.

It takes 139 g of mussels to reach 1,000 kJ (239 kcal). See how that compares with other foods on the 1000 kJ to calories page.