What Is Abalone? Abalone Nutrition, Safety and Harvest Rules

Abalone is a sea snail: NOAA Fisheries describes abalone as algae-eating marine snails, a type of mollusk, and the firm, mild meat is prized in many cuisines. So what is abalone like nutritionally? In USDA data, 3 ounces of raw abalone have about 89 calories, 14.5 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat, plus about 5 grams of carbohydrate, which is unusual for seafood. Abalone nutrition also includes a notable share of the Daily Value for selenium, vitamin E and iron. This guide covers the USDA figures, how abalone compares with other shellfish, its allergy status under FDA rules, raw seafood safety and why wild abalone is so tightly restricted in California.

Peptide Labs does not sell abalone or seafood products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What is abalone?

Abalone are marine gastropods, the same broad group as other sea snails. NOAA Fisheries places white abalone in a group of algae-eating marine snails, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) counts five major species of abalone in California’s ocean waters. The animal lives in a single, ear-shaped shell and clings to rocks with a large muscular foot, which is the part people eat.

In the kitchen, abalone is served raw as sashimi, sliced thin and seared quickly, braised, or breaded and fried. Dried and canned abalone are also sold. Because the meat is dense, cooks often pound or score it to make it tender.

Abalone nutrition facts from USDA

USDA’s SR Legacy database has two abalone entries, raw and fried. There is no entry for steamed, dried or canned abalone, so the raw entry is the closest reference for plain abalone. Percent Daily Values use FDA’s adult Daily Values and are reference facts, not personal targets.

Raw abalone is lean and moderately high in protein, with selenium as its standout mineral; see our guide to foods high in selenium. Its vitamin E and iron figures are higher than in the raw crawfish and scallop entries in the next table, and our guides to foods high in vitamin E and foods high in iron put them in context. The carbohydrate figure, about 5 grams per 3 ounces raw in USDA data, sets abalone apart from crustaceans such as crawfish, which USDA lists at 0 grams.

Frying changes the numbers. In USDA data, fried abalone has about 161 calories, 5.8 grams of fat and 502 milligrams of sodium per 3 ounces, against 89 calories, 0.6 grams of fat and 256 milligrams of sodium raw. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest swapping deep-fried cooking for baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried or grilled methods.

Abalone compared with other shellfish

Compared raw, abalone has more calories, carbohydrate, selenium, iron and vitamin E than wild crawfish or scallops, and less vitamin B12. Like scallops, clams, oysters and mussels, abalone is a mollusk, and so are squid and octopus. Crawfish, by contrast, is a crustacean, which matters for allergy labeling.

Allergy status: a mollusk, not a crustacean

FDA’s food allergen guidance (Edition 5, January 2025) answers the question directly: under the FD&C Act, crustacean shellfish such as crab, lobster or shrimp are major food allergens, “but molluscan shellfish (such as oysters, clams, mussels, or scallops) are not.” Abalone is not named in that answer, but NOAA classifies it as a mollusk, so it falls on the molluscan side of the rule.

That is a labeling rule, not a promise that abalone is harmless for people with allergies. FDA notes that more than 160 foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions beyond the major allergens. Anyone with a shellfish allergy of any kind should talk to an allergist before trying abalone, and should not count on a package carrying a “Contains” statement for it.

Mercury, natural toxins and raw abalone

Abalone does not appear on the FDA and EPA “Advice about Eating Fish” chart, revised in October 2021, so FDA and EPA have not assigned it a mercury group. The shellfish on the chart, including scallops, clams, oysters and crawfish, are in the lowest-mercury group.

FDA’s seafood hazards guidance (Chapter 6, August 2019) notes that abalone from South Africa and Spain have been reported to contain paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins, although there have been no reports of the toxin in abalone from U.S. waters. FDA also states that these natural toxins cannot be reliably eliminated through cooking or freezing, which is why harvest-area controls matter.

Raw abalone also carries the general risks of raw shellfish. CDC says most people get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish or by exposing a wound to coastal water, and advises cooking seafood before eating it. FDA advises cooking most seafood to 145°F and lists pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems among those who should avoid raw or undercooked fish and shellfish.

Why wild abalone is restricted

Abalone is a conservation story as much as a food. NOAA Fisheries lists white abalone as endangered since 2001, the first marine invertebrate listed under the Endangered Species Act, and NOAA reports a 99 percent decrease in white abalone numbers in southern California surveys since the 1970s. Black abalone were listed as endangered in 2009; NOAA names withering syndrome, a disease, as their primary threat, along with past overfishing and poaching, and says black abalone cannot be legally harvested anywhere in California.

Red abalone have declined too. CDFW reports that the California Fish and Game Commission closed the red abalone fishery in 2018 because of poor population condition, after a decline of about 85% that followed the 2014 kelp forest collapse triggered by a marine heatwave. In December 2025 the Commission extended the recreational closure in Northern California to April 1, 2036.

For shoppers, the practical step is to check the package or ask the seller where the abalone came from and whether it was farmed, and to follow state rules rather than harvesting wild abalone where the fishery is closed.

Is abalone healthy?

In USDA data, raw abalone is a lean protein food with a useful share of the Daily Value for selenium, vitamin E and iron, and moderate sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans count seafood, which includes shellfish, in the protein foods group. Cooking method matters: fried abalone nearly doubles the calories and roughly doubles the sodium in USDA data.

The bigger questions are safety and sourcing rather than nutrition. Raw abalone carries the raw shellfish risks CDC and FDA describe, FDA notes PSP toxin reports in abalone from South Africa and Spain, and CDFW keeps California’s red abalone fishery closed. For a wider view of seafood, see our pescatarian diet guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Crawfish Nutrition, Crayfish Facts and Crawfish vs Lobster, Scallops Nutrition: Protein, Sodium and Are Scallops Healthy?, Clams: Nutrition Facts, Iron, B12 and Safety.