The richest sources of EPA are cold-water fatty fish like mackerel, herring, and salmon, with top species delivering 500 to 1,200 mg per 100-gram serving. Shellfish, certain organ meats, and algae-based products also provide meaningful amounts, though most plant foods contain none. Here’s a practical breakdown of where to find EPA in your diet.
What EPA Does and Why It Matters
EPA is one of two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids your body uses directly to reduce inflammation, support heart health, and maintain normal immune function. The other is DHA. While your body can technically make EPA from a plant-based omega-3 called ALA (found in flaxseed and walnuts), the conversion rate is poor: roughly 8% in men and 21% in women. That means getting EPA from food or supplements is far more efficient than relying on your body to manufacture it.
The American Heart Association recommends one to two servings of seafood per week to lower the risk of heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. For people with existing coronary heart disease, the recommendation rises to about 1 gram per day of combined EPA and DHA, preferably from oily fish.
Fish With the Most EPA
Fatty, cold-water fish dominate the list. Oregon State University compiled EPA levels across dozens of species, and the top performers per 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of raw fish are:
- Lake trout (siscowet): 1,200 mg
- King mackerel: 1,000 mg
- Pacific herring: 1,000 mg
- Atlantic sturgeon: 1,000 mg
- Atlantic mackerel: 900 mg
- Chub mackerel: 900 mg
- Atlantic salmon (farmed): 600 mg
- Sockeye salmon: 500 mg
- Sprat: 500 mg
A single 6-ounce portion of Atlantic mackerel delivers roughly 1,800 mg of EPA alone, well above the combined EPA and DHA targets most health organizations suggest. Even a modest serving of salmon twice a week puts you in a strong position. Sardines, anchovies, and trout are also reliable choices that tend to be affordable and widely available canned or fresh.
Shellfish and Crustaceans
Oysters, mussels, shrimp, and crab all contain EPA, though generally less per serving than fatty fish. Mussels are standouts in this category. Fresh Mediterranean mussels can have EPA-plus-DHA levels around 26% of their total fat content, which is remarkably high for shellfish. Oysters are another good option, and they carry the bonus of being rich in zinc and iron.
Shrimp and lobster provide smaller amounts of EPA but still contribute meaningfully if you eat them regularly. Krill, while mostly consumed as a supplement oil rather than a whole food, is another crustacean source worth noting because krill oil delivers EPA in a form that some research suggests is absorbed efficiently.
Meat, Eggs, and Other Animal Sources
Most cuts of beef, chicken, and pork contain very little EPA. The exception is organ meat from grass-fed animals. Grass-fed beef liver contains about 151 mg of EPA per 100 grams, significantly more than grain-fed beef liver. That’s not enough to compete with fish, but it’s a meaningful contribution if you already eat liver.
Eggs tell a similar story. Conventional eggs have only trace amounts of EPA, often below what lab equipment can reliably detect. Pasture-raised hens produce eggs with roughly double the EPA and DHA of caged hens, but the absolute amounts remain small. You’d need to eat many eggs daily to approach what a single serving of salmon provides. Omega-3 enriched eggs, produced by feeding hens flaxseed or fish oil, do better, though the label should specify whether the omega-3 is ALA or the more useful EPA and DHA.
Plant Foods and Algae
No common plant food contains EPA. Walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are often promoted as omega-3 sources, but they contain ALA, not EPA. Your body converts only a fraction of that ALA into EPA, so these foods are not a reliable way to raise your EPA levels directly.
Microalgae are the original producers of EPA in the marine food chain (fish accumulate it by eating algae or smaller fish that ate algae). Certain species used in supplements can contain EPA at 36% to 46% of their total fatty acids. Algae-based EPA supplements are the most direct plant-based route to getting preformed EPA and are the primary option for vegans and vegetarians who want to skip the fish entirely. Edible seaweeds like nori and wakame contain trace omega-3s, but not in amounts that meaningfully boost your EPA intake.
Fortified Foods
A growing number of grocery products are fortified with omega-3s, including certain brands of milk, yogurt, juice, soy beverages, and eggs. The catch is that many of these products are fortified with ALA from flaxseed oil rather than with actual EPA or DHA. If you’re buying fortified foods specifically for EPA, check the nutrition label or ingredient list for “fish oil,” “algal oil,” or explicit EPA and DHA amounts. Products that list only “omega-3” without specifying the type are usually providing ALA.
How Cooking Affects EPA Content
Cooking method matters more than most people realize. High heat and added oils are the biggest threats to the EPA in your food. Frying fish in vegetable oil can cut EPA and DHA levels by 45% or more, and frying shellfish like mussels in sunflower oil has been shown to destroy over 90% of their EPA and DHA content. The vegetable oil dilutes the omega-3s while also introducing omega-6 fats that shift the overall balance away from what you’re trying to achieve.
Gentler methods preserve far more. Baking salmon reduces EPA and DHA by roughly 21%, while steaming certain fish species can result in virtually zero loss. Grilling and boiling fall somewhere in between. The practical takeaway: if you’re eating fish specifically for its EPA, steaming, baking, or poaching will give you the most benefit. Avoid deep-frying in seed oils.
How Much EPA You Actually Need
There is no official daily requirement for EPA specifically. The U.S. Institute of Medicine set intake recommendations only for ALA, the plant-based omega-3, at 1.6 grams per day for men and 1.1 grams for women. EPA and DHA were left without formal targets because deficiency thresholds are hard to define.
That said, most expert bodies converge on practical guidance. The American Heart Association’s recommendation of one to two seafood meals per week translates to roughly 250 to 500 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day for healthy adults. People with heart disease are advised to aim higher, around 1,000 mg per day of combined EPA and DHA. A 6-ounce serving of salmon or mackerel two or three times a week comfortably meets these targets without supplements.