Who is choosing?

Family meal planners with a fat target

If one tin is going into a shared meal, compare its nutrition per 100g and the amount each person is likely to eat. Salmon is an oily fish, so the word ‘plain’ does not make a tin fat-free.

Households planning separate portions

Smaller tins can be easier to open as needed when lunches and family meals happen at different times. Tesco Groceries lists salmon multipacks containing 3 × 80g and 2 × 170g tins.

Families seeking easier preparation

A skinless-and-boneless tin may reduce preparation work in sandwiches or mixed dishes. Check its own nutrition panel and bone warning rather than assuming it has less fat or cannot contain a small bone.

What matters when buying?

Start with the amount of salmon the household will use, then compare the nutrition of tins in a workable format. A multipack offers separate unopened tins; a large tin calls for a plan for any contents left after opening.

Concern What to check Who this matters to
Total fat and saturates Compare the exact variants per 100g and for the planned serving; check ingredients for added oil. If I am fitting a shared dish into a fat target, the amount each person eats matters as well as the tin’s label. About 31% of consumers put total fat and saturates first.
Tin size and leftovers Check the weight and number of tins, then read the opened-product storage instructions. When family members eat at different times, I would rather open only what a meal needs. Matching the pack to those meals is the primary need for about 31% of consumers.
Preparation and bones Look for skinless-and-boneless wording and read any warning about remaining bones. If I am making a quick sandwich or mixed dish, removing skin and bones adds preparation work. Easier preparation comes first for about 23% of consumers.
Salt alongside fat Compare salt per 100g and for the amount to be served, as well as the fat figures. Even when fat guides the choice, I may also want to account for the salt in a family meal. For about 15% of consumers, checking salt alongside fat is the primary concern.

Tesco Groceries lists 4.8g fat and 0.9g saturates per 100g for its 212g pink salmon, compared with 6.7g fat and 1.3g saturates per 100g for its 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon. Those figures describe different products, not every standard or boneless tin. NHS traffic-light guidance classes 1.5g saturates or less per 100g as low in saturates; that classification does not establish whether a serving fits a particular total-fat target.

What should you watch for?

  • Assuming fish means fat-free

    Salmon is oily fish. Tesco Groceries lists 4.8g fat per 100g for one plain pink-salmon tin and 6.7g for a skinless-and-boneless red-salmon tin; John West lists an oil-containing salmon example at 9.6g per 100g.

    Use the nutrition panel for the exact variant and the amount you intend to serve. Compare total fat separately from saturates if both matter to the household plan.

  • Opening a large tin without a meal plan

    A larger tin may leave more salmon than one meal needs, and opened contents must be handled according to that product’s storage instructions.

    Decide how the opened tin will be used before choosing its size. If meals are spread across different days, consider whether separate unopened tins suit the household better.

    Unused opened salmon can become food waste if it is not eaten within the product’s stated refrigerated storage period.

  • Reading ‘boneless’ as a guarantee

    M&S warns that small bones may remain in its Wild Alaskan Red Salmon despite efforts to remove them.

    Choose a skinless-and-boneless format if it makes preparation easier, but follow the exact product’s bone warning and take appropriate care when serving it.

  • Checking fat but overlooking salt

    Salt also varies by product: Princes Food and Drinks lists 0.91g per 100g drained for its plain wild Pacific red salmon, while M&S lists 0.80g per 100g for its Wild Alaskan Red Salmon.

    If salt matters to your choice, compare it on the same per-100g basis and account for the amount going into each serving.

Brands to consider

Compare particular tins, not brand names alone: pack formats, preparation and nutrition can differ within a range.

Tesco

Tesco Groceries lists pink- and red-salmon tins in several sizes, including a 418g pink-salmon tin and a 170g skinless-and-boneless red-salmon tin.

  • Its listed 212g pink salmon has 4.8g fat and 0.9g saturates per 100g; the 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon has 6.7g fat and 1.3g saturates per 100g.
  • Use the nutrition panel of the 418g tin itself before treating either smaller tin’s figures as applicable to it.

Princes

Princes Food and Drinks lists plain wild Pacific red salmon, while Tesco Groceries lists a Princes skinless-and-boneless red-salmon multipack of 2 × 170g.

  • Princes lists red salmon and salt for its plain product, with 5.8g fat and 1.2g saturates per 100g drained.
  • Check the multipack’s own label rather than applying the plain product’s nutrition figures to it.

John West

Tesco Groceries lists a John West skinless-and-boneless wild pink-salmon multipack containing 3 × 80g tins, a format to consider when meals call for separate tins.

  • The separately sealed tins allow households to open them for different meals.
  • Check the exact variant’s nutrition: John West also lists an oil-containing salmon product with 9.6g fat per 100g, which is not a figure for the pink-salmon multipack.

M&S

M&S lists Wild Alaskan Red Salmon in 105g and 170g formats.

  • The listed 170g product has 5.3g fat and 1.5g saturates per 100g.
  • M&S warns that small bones may remain. Its instructions say to transfer unused opened contents to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within 24 hours.

Tinned salmon on Joybuy

These Morrisons pink-salmon options offer a four-tin pack for meals planned across the family or a single tin for a smaller meal. Check the exact tin’s nutrition and the amount you intend to serve before deciding whether either format fits your low-fat plan.

Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g, pack of four

Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g, pack of four

Four separate 213g tins suit a household planning salmon for more than one meal. Compare the nutrition of the exact product with the portion you intend to serve, and follow the tin’s instructions for any opened contents.

View on Joybuy
Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g single tin

Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g

A single 213g tin is an option when a smaller shared meal is planned. Check how much will be served against the nutrition panel, and plan how to handle any contents left after opening.

View on Joybuy

Common questions

Is tinned salmon low in fat?

Do not assume so from the name: salmon is oily fish, and the plain tins listed by Tesco Groceries and Princes Food and Drinks range from 4.8g to 6.7g total fat per 100g. Compare the exact tin and planned serving with your own total-fat target. NHS guidance classes 1.5g saturates or less per 100g as low in saturates, which is a separate measure from total fat.

How much salmon is a portion in UK guidance?

The NHS describes a fish portion as around 140g and recommends at least two portions of fish a week as part of a balanced diet, including one of oily fish. Salmon counts as oily fish; a tin’s weight and the amount actually eaten need not be the same.

Does an oily-fish limit matter when planning family meals?

It matters for some family members. NHS guidance says girls and women who have not been through the menopause, including those trying for a baby or who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should have no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Plan servings for each person rather than treating the number of tins bought as the number of portions eaten.

What should I do with salmon left in an opened tin?

Follow that product’s storage instructions. M&S says to move unused contents of its 170g Wild Alaskan Red Salmon to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within 24 hours; Tesco Groceries gives a two-day refrigerated period for leftovers from its 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon. Do not apply one tin’s instructions to another.

Do these tinned salmon products contain fish allergens?

Yes. The listed Tesco salmon products identify fish as an allergen, and Princes Food and Drinks names red salmon as an ingredient in its plain product. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the exact tin before serving it to anyone with a fish allergy.