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The marine red alga Gracilaria crassa was investigated for its proximate composition, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and agar content to decipher its nutritional implications. The growth performance and pigments were studied under different combinations of temperature and salinity. On a dry weight basis the total lipid content was 1.30 ± 0.05 %, protein was 5.18 ± 0.64 %, carbohydrate was 42.0 ± 1.2 %, ash was 43.18 ± 1.15 %, and agar content was 21.52 ± 0.73 %. Appreciable amounts of macro-, micro-nutrients (K > Na, Ca, Mg, and Fe), and essential amino acids (Ileu, His, Thr, Leu, and Lys) were found. Palmitic, stearic acid, and arachidonic acid were major fatty acids detected. The alga showed maximum daily growth rate (DGR %) 5.8 ± 0.09 % at 25 °C, 35 ‰ salinity. The highest content of pigment R-phycoerythrin (444.7 ± 1.9 μg g⁻¹ fresh weight (FW) basis) was obtained at 25 ‰ …