The amounts in the reference foods
USDA’s final SR Legacy 2018 release reports farmed atlantic salmon, cooked dry heat: 30 mg per 100 g; farmed atlantic salmon, cooked dry heat: 30 mg per 100 g; atlantic cod, cooked dry heat: 42 mg per 100 g. These are named historical reference foods, not measurements of a current package or meal. [1]
What changes the interpretation
The salmon entry gives 30 mg per 100 g. It describes farmed Atlantic salmon cooked with dry heat, not every wild species, smoked product or raw fillet. Atlantic cod is included only as a composition comparison, at 42 mg per 100 g. These values do not establish that the fish with more magnesium has better overall health effects. [1]
A hypothetical portion comparison
An85 g salmon portion gives 25.5 mg magnesium;150 g gives 45 mg. A food log should use the edible cooked weight and matching entry. Adding a sauce or vegetables changes the complete meal’s nutrient total and must be counted separately. The table uses the explicitly chosen edible weights. Scale a matching per-100-g value by the grams eaten divided by 100; a count of pieces or an unspecified spoonful is not the same denominator. [1]
| Food | Chosen portion | Nutrient estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Farmed Atlantic salmon, cooked dry heat | 85 g | 25.5 mg |
| Farmed Atlantic salmon, cooked dry heat | 150 g | 45 mg |
| Atlantic cod, cooked dry heat | 85 g | 35.7 mg |
Sources for this article
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy April 2018 composition and portion tables
Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.