Purine content of Salmon
across 9 measured preparations · median 147 mg · spans fairly high to very high
Across the 9 salmon measurements in this database, purine content runs from 88 to 259.8 mg per 100 g, with a median of 147 mg — a fairly high-purine food.
Avoid or strictly limit — significant gout flare risk.
On this page (5)
Lower-purine seafood
Why the numbers vary
The seafood measured here run from 7.7 mg to 1399.7 mg per 100 g, so the category is a poor guide on its own — which specific food, and prepared how, decides almost everything.
Preparation matters more than the food's name. Salmon, sockeye, wild, raw measures 259.8 mg, while Salmon, canned measures 88 mg — a difference of 3.0 times. Drying and grilling remove water and concentrate what is left; boiling can move purines into water that is then poured away.
Every form of salmon measured (9)
Highest first, each with the preparation that was measured.
| Food as measured | Per 100 g | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon, sockeye, wild, raw | 259.8 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salmon, mixed species, raw | 250 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, raw | 249.9 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salmon | 168 mg | High | NHC 2024 |
| Chum salmon (smoked) | 147 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Salmon roe | 136 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Salmon, chum, raw | 124.7 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Chum salmon | 117 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Salmon, canned | 88 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
Questions about salmon and purines
Is salmon high in purines?
Median 147 mg per 100 g, salmon falls in the fairly high band (75–150 mg per 100 g) on the six-level scale used across this site. Individual measurements range from 88 to 259.8 mg.
How many purines are in a serving of salmon?
It depends entirely which preparation. Compared at the same 150 g: about 132 mg for salmon, canned, about 390 mg for salmon, sockeye, wild, raw. That upper figure is a like-for-like comparison rather than a serving — dried and concentrated foods are normally used by the spoonful, so their per-100 g value is the fairer read. The table on this page lists both for every preparation measured.
Does cooking change the purine content of salmon?
Substantially. In this database Salmon, sockeye, wild, raw measures 259.8 mg while Salmon, canned measures 88 mg per 100 g. Drying and grilling concentrate purines by removing water; boiling can leach some into the cooking liquid.
Where does this salmon purine value come from?
USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) and Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition). Values are total purines in milligrams per 100 g of the food as described, and nothing is estimated or averaged across sources.
How does salmon compare with other seafood?
The median for seafood in this database is 136 mg per 100 g, with a range of 7.7 to 1399.7 mg. Salmon is above that median.
Source
- USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition) — National Health Commission of China, appendix 1. Issued February 2024.
Reference information only. Purine values describe foods, not people: they cannot tell you what is safe for you to eat, and nothing here diagnoses or treats gout. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own diet and medication.