24 Mar 2012 From country to Cajun, Heath's Fish House has it all

by Don Bingham

There are some popular dining sites that offer their guests the options of “secret” menus, and when one places their order, you may request the alternative selection that does not appear on the regular menu.

This is not totally the case with Heath’s Fish House, but not far off base!

Heath’s Fish House – located in the Springhill community south of Greenbrier – recently marked its first year in business. The Watts family loves to meet and visit with its customers. This is clearly evident with Heath, the chief cook, through his warm demeanor toward the dining guests.

The buffet line is rather typical of Arkansas fish houses — with tasty fried fish and country-style vegetables. The choices range from salads and slaw to okra and beans — with both chicken and fish on the regular line. One would not leave hungry or disappointed to graze through this buffet, receiving a fresh plate with each visit.

Heath’s background has presented him with years of cooking, helping him to become an expert in the spice and flavor of Louisiana! You and I both know this style of cooking, indeed, “kicks it up a notch” with the Cajun peppers, spices and herbs! Here lies the “secret” menu – there are many wonderful choices, most are listed on the menu as “optional add-ons.” Unless you are prepared for this delectable option, you might miss the delight of Heath’s Fish House! 

Once we discovered that we had other choices, it was explained to me the reason for this is two-fold — Heath’s seafood is truly spiced differently, but Heath also prefers it hot and fresh from the kitchen. As we had already done a light sampling of the buffet line, we then requested the frog legs, breaded shrimp, fried oysters and more.

From the impeccably clean kitchen first came the large boiled “peel-em-and-eat-em” shrimp. They were hot and fresh boiled. We could have had them cold, cocktail style, but these were tender-fresh with just the right seasonings – so was everything else Heath brought to the table.

We also visited the restaurant on Sunday. If you like good, home-style, Arkansas country cooking, you’ll enjoy Sunday lunch at Heath’s Fish House. I hope the day you visit is the day pecan cobbler is among the dessert choices – it’s worth the trip!

I also like the fact that Heath is only open Thursday through Saturday evenings and Sunday at lunch. The other days of the week are spent with his family and doing his favorite past time of hunting and fishing!

For more information, call 501.581.0108. We will return to Heath’s Fish House, especially for the “not so secret, secret menu” of Cajun seafood!