Quick answer

Fatty fish are the richest food source of EPA and DHA: 3 ounces of farmed Atlantic salmon has about 1.8 g, Atlantic herring about 1.7 g and sardines canned in tomato sauce about 1.2 g. Flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts give the plant omega-3 ALA instead, which the body converts only in small amounts.¹

Key facts

A tablespoon of flaxseed oil has 7.26 g of ALA, the most of any food in NIH's table.¹
Canned light tuna has far less than salmon: about 0.19 g of EPA plus DHA per 3 ounces.¹
Chicken and eggs add little: a cooked egg has about 0.03 g of DHA.¹
A typical fish oil softgel has 300 mg of EPA plus DHA, about a sixth of a 3 ounce serving of farmed salmon.¹

Fish and seafood, ranked

Cold-water fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines are rich in EPA and DHA. Leaner fish such as bass, tilapia and cod, and shellfish, have less.^1,2

DHA and EPA in 3 ounces of cooked fish and seafood, highest first¹
Food	DHA	EPA	Total
Salmon, Atlantic, farmed	1.24 g	0.59 g	1.83 g
Herring, Atlantic	0.94 g	0.77 g	1.71 g
Salmon, Atlantic, wild	1.22 g	0.35 g	1.57 g
Sardines, canned in tomato sauce, drained	0.74 g	0.45 g	1.19 g
Mackerel, Atlantic	0.59 g	0.43 g	1.02 g
Salmon, pink, canned, drained	0.63 g	0.28 g	0.91 g
Trout, rainbow, wild	0.44 g	0.40 g	0.84 g
Sea bass	0.47 g	0.18 g	0.65 g
Oysters, eastern, wild	0.23 g	0.30 g	0.53 g
Shrimp	0.12 g	0.12 g	0.24 g
Tuna, light, canned in water, drained	0.17 g	0.02 g	0.19 g
Lobster	0.07 g	0.10 g	0.17 g
Scallops	0.09 g	0.06 g	0.15 g
Cod, Pacific	0.10 g	0.04 g	0.14 g
Tilapia	0.11 g	not listed	0.11 g
Tuna, yellowfin	0.09 g	0.01 g	0.10 g

The totals are the DHA and EPA columns added together. NIH's source table does not always say whether a fish was farmed or wild.¹

Farmed fish usually have more EPA and DHA than wild fish, but it depends on what they are fed. In farmed Atlantic salmon from Scotland, EPA and DHA fell between 2006 and 2015 as fish feed changed.¹

Fish do not make EPA and DHA themselves. Microalgae at the base of the marine food chain make them, and fish build them up by eating their way along that chain.¹

Plant foods: ALA, not EPA or DHA

Flaxseed and its oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and canola and soybean oils supply ALA. A tablespoon of flaxseed oil has 7.26 g, an ounce of chia seeds 5.06 g and an ounce of English walnuts 2.57 g.^1,2

ALA in plant foods¹
Food	Serving	ALA
Flaxseed oil	1 tablespoon	7.26 g
Chia seeds	1 ounce	5.06 g
English walnuts	1 ounce	2.57 g
Flaxseed, whole	1 tablespoon	2.35 g
Canola oil	1 tablespoon	1.28 g
Soybean oil	1 tablespoon	0.92 g
Black walnuts	1 ounce	0.76 g
Edamame, frozen, prepared	Half a cup	0.28 g
Refried beans, canned, vegetarian	Half a cup	0.21 g
Kidney beans, canned	Half a cup	0.10 g

ALA counts toward the official adequate intake for omega-3s, but it does not stand in for EPA and DHA. The body converts under 15% of it, so the 7 g in a tablespoon of flaxseed oil is not the same as 7 g of fish oil omega-3s.¹

For vegetarians and vegans, the direct source of DHA is algal oil, made from the same kind of microalgae that fish feed on. Some algal oils contain EPA as well.^1,2

Fortified foods, meat and eggs

Some brands of eggs, yogurt, juice, milk and soy drinks are fortified with DHA and other omega-3s, and most infant formulas sold in the US contain DHA.^1,2

Beef is very low in omega-3s. Beef from grass-fed cattle has somewhat more than beef from grain-fed cattle, mainly as ALA.¹

Everyday animal foods other than fish add little. A cooked egg has about 0.03 g of DHA, 3 ounces of roasted chicken breast 0.02 g of DHA and 0.01 g of EPA, and a cup of low-fat milk 0.01 g of ALA.¹

Food or a softgel?

One 3 ounce serving of farmed salmon has about as much EPA and DHA as six typical fish oil softgels. Two servings of fatty fish like that in a week average out to roughly 500 mg a day, twice the European reference amount of 250 mg.¹

Seafood also provides vitamin D, iodine, iron, choline and other nutrients that a typical fish oil softgel does not. The Dietary Guidelines frame their advice as seafood, for all the nutrients it provides.^1,3

Choosing fish lower in mercury

Seafood contains varying levels of methyl mercury, which can harm the brain and nervous system when exposure is too high. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised to eat 8 to 12 ounces of seafood a week, choosing fish lower in mercury such as salmon, anchovies, sardines, Pacific oysters and trout.^1,3

Fish oil supplements are a different case: NIH reports they have not been found to contain methyl mercury, because it is removed in processing.¹

If you are allergic to fish or shellfish, ask your doctor before trying fish oil or krill oil
If you take a blood thinner, ask before adding a fish oil supplement to a diet rich in fish

Questions people ask

What foods are high in omega-3 but are not fish?

Flaxseed and flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and canola and soybean oils are the richest, but they give ALA. For EPA and DHA without fish, the options are algal oil and foods with DHA added, such as some eggs, milks and juices.^1,2

Is canned tuna a good source?

Canned light tuna is low, with about 0.19 g of EPA plus DHA per 3 ounces. Canned pink salmon has about 0.91 g and sardines canned in tomato sauce about 1.19 g.¹

Does farmed salmon have less omega-3 than wild?

Not by NIH's figures: 3 ounces of farmed Atlantic salmon has about 1.83 g of EPA plus DHA, against about 1.57 g for wild. Farmed fish depend on their feed, though, and levels in Scottish farmed salmon fell between 2006 and 2015.¹

Should I worry about the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio?

No ideal ratio has been defined. Most experts agree that raising EPA and DHA in the blood matters more than cutting omega-6 fats such as linoleic acid.¹

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.