Dried Fish & Seafood Purine Ranking: Lowest to Highest

Lowest Purine Dried Fish & Seafood

Highest Purine Dried Fish & Seafood

#12mackerel, jack, half-dried245.9 mg

#11sardine, half-dried305.3 mg

#10whitebait, dried471.1 mg

#9Whitebait (dried)471.5 mg

#8sardine, baby, dried746.0 mg

#7Niboshi (dried baby sardines)746.1 mg

#6shrimp, sakura, dried748.9 mg

#5Sakura shrimp (dried)749.1 mg

#4Anchovy (dried)1108.6 mg

#3anchovy, dried1109.0 mg

Category Average: 574.2 mg/100g

The average across 12 Dried Fish & Seafood foods with lab-measured data. Foods below this average are better-than-typical choices within this category.

How to Use This Ranking

The purine ranking is sorted from lowest to highest. Rank #1 is the lowest-purine food in the category. Foods in the top half (above median) should be consumed with more awareness of portion and frequency. The difference between adjacent ranks varies: in some categories, rank #5 and #10 might be only 10 mg apart; in others, the gap can be 100+ mg. Always check the actual milligram value, not just the position. Rankings do not account for fructose or alcohol — use individual food pages for a complete risk assessment.

ACR 2020 Guideline Context

The American College of Rheumatology recommends that gout patients focus on purine awareness rather than complete food group elimination. Within any category, there is a wide purine range. The goal is to shift toward lower-purine choices within categories you already eat, rather than eliminating entire food groups. This ranking helps you identify which specific items to prioritize and which to limit.

Japanese guidelines recommend under 400 mg of total dietary purines per day. Using this ranking, you can estimate how much of budget each food uses per typical serving.

How This Comparison Is Built

Every food in this comparison passes through a three-factor risk model that looks at purines, fructose, and alcohol independently. Purine values are sourced from the USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025) and Kaneko et al. (Biol Pharm Bull 37(5):709-721, 2014, PMID: 24553148), fructose from USDA SR28. Verdicts apply ACR 2020 limits — Safe means under 50 mg purine and 2 g fructose with no alcohol; Moderate falls between; Avoid exceeds these or contains alcohol. Data quality tiers (T1/T2/T3) are listed on each food's detail page.

This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual tolerance to purines and fructose varies. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized dietary guidance. Last reviewed: 2026-09-03.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dried fish bad for gout?

Most dried fish and seafood are very high in purines because removing water concentrates everything. Among 12 dried fish and seafood entries with measured values, dried anchovy reaches about 1109.0 mg/100g and dried whitebait about 1108.6 mg/100g — among the highest purine foods in our database. They are best treated as a condiment, not a protein.

Which dried seafood is lowest in purines?

Dried squid and shredded dried seafood sit lower than dried small fish in our database, around 94.4 to 94.4 mg/100g, but they are still moderate-to-high and very salty. There is no truly low-purine dried seafood. If you use dried fish for flavor (dashi, snacks), use a small amount rather than a serving.

Can I eat dried anchovies with gout?

It is best to keep dried anchovies to very small amounts. Dried anchovies measure around 1109.0 mg/100g in our database — far above fresh fish — and are also very high in sodium. They work as a flavoring or garnish, but they are not a gout-friendly protein source.

Dried Fish & Seafood Ranked by Purine Content