The importance of turbulent transport within a density current head is examined using a large-eddy simulation (LES) model, which explicitly resolves the three-dimensional turbulent eddies rather than parameterizing their effect. Two idealized density currents are simulated, differing in the direction of the relative environmental shear and thus differing in vertical tilt of the frontal interfaces. Similarities and differences in the turbulent structure of the two heads will be discussed. Overall, the turbulent flux divergence is most significant for the temperature and of secondary importance for momentum transport. Turbulent dissipation is found to be strongest at the leading edge of the frontal interface rather than in the region behind the head. In contrast to a horizontally homogeneous boundary layer, here the horizontal flux divergence is generally larger than the vertical flux divergence. As a result, effective eddy mixing coefficients differ in the horizontal and vertical, in contrast to typical density current simulation parameterizations which have assumed them to be equal.