Menhaden Fish Oil

Menhaden fish oil is derived from the Atlantic menhaden, a small, oily schooling fish found along the eastern coast of North America. It is one of the most widely produced fish oils globally, valued for its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA.

The oil is used in dietary supplements, as an ingredient in processed foods, and in aquaculture feed. In its refined form it has a relatively mild flavour compared to other fish oils, though it is more commonly consumed in capsule form than used directly in cooking.

Menhaden are not typically eaten as a food fish themselves — nearly the entire commercial catch is processed for oil and fishmeal, making menhaden one of the most important industrial fish species by volume.

Wild

photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Menhaden are caught in large quantities using purse seine nets. The whole fish are cooked with steam to break down the tissue, then pressed to separate the oil from the solids. The crude oil is further refined through degumming, neutralisation, bleaching, and deodorisation to produce a clean, stable oil suitable for human consumption.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 901kcal

Protein 0g

Carbs 0g

Fat 100g

Fibre 0g Sugar 0g

Mass Distribution

1 tbsp is about 13.6 g — roughly 120 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈28.57kg

Freshwater ≈435.63L

Land ≈217.98m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from

Menhaden, body fat

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Your household's take

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