Jellyfish - How Many Calories?

Salted jellyfish: low calories do not mean low sodium

This entry describes dried, salted jellyfish processed as food. The USDA record provides 36 kcal and 5.5 g protein per 100 g. It is not a profile for fresh jellyfish or a desalted salad with dressing.¹

How much sodium is in the salted product?

With 9690 mg sodium per 100 g, calories tell only part of the story. Even 10 g of the salted product provides 969 mg sodium alongside 4 kcal. The source's 58 g cup would contain 5620.2 mg sodium; it is not a recommended serving. WHO recommends less than 2,000 mg sodium daily for adults.² The daily limit includes sodium from all foods, not just salt added at the table.

What changes after rinsing or soaking?

Follow the product's desalting and preparation instructions. Water and salt content can change during preparation, so these figures cannot simply be assigned to 100 g of the finished food. Nor can a fixed sodium-reduction percentage be assumed. Use the label for a packaged ready-to-eat, desalted product, and count oil and sauces separately when making a salad.

Is every jellyfish edible?

This food entry cannot identify a jellyfish found on a beach as edible. Choose a product sold as food with a known identity and preparation instructions. Alum used in processing can contribute aluminium; Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety advises limiting jellyfish consumption to reduce exposure from a narrow range of foods. The nutrient table does not establish a “superfood” benefit or a collagen treatment for skin.³

1. USDA SR28, 43497: Jellyfish, dried, salted. Edible weight of the salted product; post-preparation values are unknown.

2. WHO: sodium reduction.

3. CFS: alum and aluminium in jellyfish products.