Ictalurus punctatus
2 associations assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.
A scaleless North American freshwater fish, farmed at large scale in ponds across the southern United States and also caught wild. The USDA entry named here is the wild fish, which is leaner and more variable in flavour than the pond-raised product.
Also known as Catfish, Channel cat, Blue channel cat
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.
Evidence is limited for catfish and heart outcomes. Cohort analyses that separate fried fish from other fish generally find the favourable association absent for fried fish, which is how most catfish is eaten.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
May support muscle protein synthesis as a complete protein. As with other fish this rests on protein-quality data for fish as a group.
Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.
AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrients | ||
| Calories | 95 kcal | 5% |
| Protein | 16.4 g | 33% |
| Total fat | 2.82 g | 4% |
| Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0% |
| Water | 80.4 g | — |
| Fats | ||
| Saturated fat | 0.722 g | 4% |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.844 g | — |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.865 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg | 19% |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.13 g | — |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0.234 g | — |
| DPA (omega-3) | 0.1 g | — |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 0.101 g | — |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 15 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 0.7 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin D | 12.5 µg | 63% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.21 mg | 18% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.072 mg | 6% |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.91 mg | 12% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.765 mg | 15% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.116 mg | 7% |
| Folate | 10 µg | 3% |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.23 µg | 93% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 14 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 23 mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 209 mg | 17% |
| Potassium | 358 mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 43 mg | 2% |
| Zinc | 0.51 mg | 5% |
| Copper | 0.034 mg | 4% |
| Manganese | 0.025 mg | 1% |
| Selenium | 12.6 µg | 23% |
| Other measured compounds | ||
| Ash | 0.96 g | — |
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Source record: Fish, catfish, channel, wild, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174186).
% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.
Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.
Deep-frying in vegetable oil exchanges part of the fish oil for the frying medium and oxidises some of the rest, so the fatty-acid profile of the finished plate differs considerably from the raw entry named here. Baking or poaching retains more.
Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.
Worth knowing
Catfish are bottom feeders with fatty flesh, which favours accumulation of PCBs, dioxins and, in some catchments, PFAS. State and provincial agencies publish water-body-specific advice for wild-caught catfish, often stricter than for other freshwater species.
Worth knowing
Much fish sold as catfish is imported Pangasius, a different genus farmed in Southeast Asia. Import testing has periodically found unapproved veterinary drug residues in some consignments, and United States labelling rules now reserve the word catfish for the family Ictaluridae.
Too much
Catfish is most often served breaded and deep-fried, which roughly doubles the energy of the portion and adds the frying oil to it. That is a property of the dish rather than of the fish.
Allergy
A finfish allergen. Catfish parvalbumin is well characterised and cross-reacts with other freshwater and marine species.