Catfish is a lean, mild-flavored freshwater fish that shows up in everything from grilled fillets to Southern fried dinners. If you are tracking calories or macronutrients for weight loss, muscle-building, or a low-carb plan, knowing what a realistic cup serving actually contains is a helpful step. This calculator converts your portion into a cup-sized serving and estimates calories, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, and sodium based on how you prepare the fish.
Choose between farm-raised and wild-catfish options in raw, cooked, and breaded forms, then enter the amount you plan to eat in cups, grams, or ounces. You can also adjust the weight of a cup to match how tightly you pack flaked fish. The tool is handy for meal prep, recipe scaling, and building balanced plates alongside sides like rice or greens.
🐟 Catfish Calorie & Macro Calculator
Estimate calories, protein, fat, carbs, and sodium for any catfish serving.
How to Use This Tool
Start by entering the amount of catfish you intend to eat. The default unit is cups, but you can switch to grams or ounces if that matches your food scale or package label. Choose the preparation style that best matches your meal: raw farm-raised, cooked farm-raised, raw wild-caught, cooked wild-caught, or breaded fried. Each style changes the calorie and fat profile because cooking removes water and coating adds flour, oil, and sodium.
The weight per cup field lets you adjust for flake size. A loosely packed cup of flaked cooked catfish weighs less than a tightly packed one; the tool defaults to 150 g per cup, which is a reasonable middle ground for cooked fillets. After clicking Calculate, you will see the main calorie number plus a complete macro breakdown and a note about calorie sources. Use the preset buttons to quickly try half-cup, one-cup, or two-cup portions.
Nutrition Reference Table
The table below shows estimated nutrition for one cup of catfish using the default 150 g per cup conversion. These values come from USDA reference data for channel catfish.
| Preparation | Calories | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Sodium (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm-raised, raw | 179 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 68 |
| Farm-raised, cooked dry heat | 216 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 101 |
| Wild-caught, raw | 143 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 60 |
| Wild-caught, cooked dry heat | 189 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 92 |
| Breaded and fried | 345 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 645 |
Raw catfish weighs more for the same volume because cooking removes moisture. This is why a cup of raw fish may yield fewer cooked calories after draining. The calculator treats your input as the actual serving you will consume, so choose the style that matches your final plate.
Where the Numbers Come From
The calorie and nutrient figures are based on USDA FoodData Central entries for channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Farm-raised and wild-caught catfish have notably different fat contents: wild catfish tends to be leaner because the fish move more and rely on natural forage, while farm-raised fish are fed a higher-energy diet that can increase fat and calories per 100 g. Cooking method also matters. Dry-heat cooking like baking, grilling, or broiling lowers the water content, so calories per 100 g rise even though no oil is added. Frying and breading add refined flour and absorbed oil, which can nearly double the calorie count.
For the most reliable estimates, use the specific form you are cooking from a verified nutrition label or inspect individual USDA entries for your exact product. Values vary by brand, season, and how the fish was processed. The official database can be searched at USDA FoodData Central.
Fried Catfish and Breading Notes
Southern-style fried catfish is popular, but it is also the most variable option. The amount of absorbed oil depends on batter thickness, frying temperature, drain time, and whether the fish is coated once or twice. A commercial breaded fillet may have 15–25% coating by weight, which contributes carbohydrates from cornmeal or flour and extra sodium from seasonings. The calculator uses a representative breaded value of roughly 230 kcal per 100 g; your actual fried catfish could range from 190 to 280 kcal per 100 g. If you made the coating yourself, it can be worth weighing the dry mix and oil to compute a more precise conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cup of catfish the same as a cup of milk? No. A cup is a volume measurement, but catfish is a solid food. One cup of flaked, cooked fish weighs about 150 g, while a cup of milk weighs 240 g. That is why the calculator lets you adjust the grams-per-cup value.
Does wild catfish really have fewer calories? Generally yes. Wild-caught catfish is much leaner, with only about 2.9 g of fat per 100 g raw, compared with 5.6 g in farm-raised raw fillets. The calorie difference is roughly 20–25 kcal per 100 g.
Can I use this calculator for frozen or canned catfish? Frozen raw fillets are close to fresh raw catfish, but canned or smoked catfish may contain added oil, salt, or liquid. Check the label and use the grams unit if you have a net weight. The tool works best for fresh or frozen raw and cooked fillets.
Why does cooked catfish show more calories per 100 g than raw catfish? Cooking evaporates water and shrinks the fish, so the same 100 g portion after cooking represents a larger original piece of fish. Nutrient energy is concentrated, not created. If you weigh your food raw, choose the raw option; if you weigh after cooking, choose the cooked option.
Practical Tips for Tracking
- Weigh your catfish fillet raw first, then again after cooking, to understand how much water it loses. Most fillets shrink by 15–25%.
- For a single typical 3 oz cooked fillet (85 g), expect roughly 120–145 kcal if baked or grilled, depending on whether it is farm-raised or wild.
- If catfish is part of a sandwich or po' boy, count the bread separately; the fish only contributes the values this tool calculates.
- Pair catfish with lower-calorie sides and a squeeze of lemon to add flavor without much sodium. If you also track chicken, the chicken nutrition calculator can help you compare lean protein options.
- Use a macro target to see how catfish fits your daily protein and fat goals. A macronutrient calculator can translate your calorie target into grams of protein, carbs, and fat.