Know2eat

Snapper

Lutjanus campechanus

What snapper has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About snapper

A family of reef and shelf fish sold whole or as pink-skinned white fillets. The USDA entry covers mixed species, which reflects the market: snapper is one of the most inconsistently labelled names on a fish counter.

Also known as Red snapper, Pargo, Mangrove snapper, Huachinango

Heart HealthMuscle & Physical Performance

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

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.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Observational data links overall fish intake with lower cardiovascular mortality, and lean white fish contributes to that intake. The association is strongest in analyses dominated by oily species, so applying it to snapper is an extrapolation rather than a finding.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Insufficient evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a lean complete protein. As with other white fish, the finding belongs to fish protein as a category rather than to this species.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Snapper

Ask about Snapper

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.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories100 kcal5%
Protein20.5 g41%
Total fat1.34 g2%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water76.9 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.285 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.251 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.459 g—
Cholesterol37 mg12%
EPA (omega-3)0.051 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.26 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.065 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.019 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A32 µg4%
Vitamin C1.6 mg2%
Vitamin D10.2 µg51%
Vitamin E0.96 mg6%
Vitamin K0.1 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.046 mg4%
Riboflavin (B2)0.0030 mg0%
Niacin (B3)0.284 mg2%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.75 mg15%
Vitamin B60.4 mg24%
Folate5 µg1%
Vitamin B123 µg125%
Choline65 mg12%
Minerals
Calcium32 mg2%
Iron0.18 mg1%
Magnesium32 mg8%
Phosphorus198 mg16%
Potassium417 mg9%
Sodium64 mg3%
Zinc0.36 mg3%
Copper0.028 mg3%
Manganese0.013 mg1%
Selenium38.2 µg69%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.31 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, snapper, mixed species, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173698).

% 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.

How preparation changes things

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.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Ciguatera in large tropical snapper

    Several snapper species from tropical reef systems accumulate ciguatoxin, and snapper appears regularly in ciguatera outbreak reports alongside barracuda and grouper. The toxin cannot be seen, smelled or cooked out, and risk rises with the size of the fish and the region it came from.

  • Worth knowing

    Widespread mislabelling

    DNA testing programmes have repeatedly found that a large share of fish sold as red snapper is a different species entirely. That matters beyond honesty: the substituted species may carry different mercury levels, different allergens or, in documented cases, escolar, whose indigestible wax esters cause a purgative reaction.

  • Allergy

    Fish allergy

    A finfish allergen with heat-stable parvalbumin and frequent cross-reactivity.