Group · Fish
Atlantic bonito
The Atlantic bonito (known in French as bonite à dos rayé) is a medium-sized tuna relative, recognisable by the dark lines on its back. In Japan it is made into katsuobushi, the dried shavings that make dashi.
In terms of nutrition facts, raw: 161 kcal per 100 g, with 22.3 g of protein and 8.01 g of fat including 0.8 g of omega-3. It provides 2.08 mg of iron per 100 g, and contains 1.35 g of salt.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 161 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 675 kJ |
| Protein | 22,3 g |
| Fat | 8,1 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- EPA0,5 g200 %
- DHA0,1 g39 %
- Total omega-30,8 g32 %
- Copper0,26 mg26 %
- Iron2,08 mg15 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,2 g10 %
- Zinc0,68 mg7 %
- Manganese0,1 mg5 %
See the other 4 nutrients
- Omega-6 LA0,29 g3 %
- Magnesium10 mg3 %
- Calcium16 mg2 %
- Potassium35 mg2 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
It is an oily fish: 0.8 g of omega-3. It therefore counts towards the weekly portion of oily fish recommended by Anses (the French food safety agency), unlike tilapia or dogfish.
Mercury: less than tuna, but not zero. It is a predator, but smaller and shorter-lived than a bluefin tuna. Anses recommends varying species rather than sticking to just one.
Its dark red flesh is cooked like tuna. Seared over very high heat, pink in the middle, two minutes per side for a 2 cm steak. Well done, it becomes dry and mealy.
1.35 g of salt: unusual for a fresh fish. Do not salt the dish before tasting it (see salt).
Do not confuse it with skipjack tuna. Skipjack is called « striped-bellied bonito »: it is a different species, leaner, and it is the one most often found in tins.