Shrimp: The international cuisine

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Twin Oaks’ Baked Stuffed Shrimp! The best meal in Rhode Island. Made with Ritz cracker stuffing. Even better with “mashed in the middle.”

But wait. There are dozens of ethnic restaurants in our tiny state that lay claim to shrimp recipes that will satisfy your desires for the tasty crustacean.

Caliente, the fast food Mexican restaurant next to the URI campus and on Thayer Street in Providence, has the best Shrimp Taco. Mexican restaurants know how to incorporate shrimp into their menus.

Indian restaurants make good use of shrimp in their curry dishes. Like it hot? Try Chennai Express on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston. Like it Masala style? Try Rassa on Main Street in East Greenwich.

The Chinese are the most innovative and incorporate shrimp into dozens of menu items, from moo shi to General Tso. For something different, try the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce at Warwick’s Lemongrass.

Thai cooking follows suit. My favorite is the Shrimp Pad Thai at Tail Orchid on Park Avenue in Cranston.

Cranston’s Spain makes a Spanish style paella that incorporates shrimp into a delightful dish for two.

Kim, the exceptional soul food restaurant on Washington Street in downcity, has the best Shrimp Po’ Boy.

Cranston’s Poco Loco runs it as a special about every other week.

The Greeks get in the act at Vivaldi’s Pizza in Edgewood, where they wrap the shrimps in pita bread.

Any Japanese restaurant worth its chopsticks makes a good shrimp sushi.

The Cajuns are experts at cooking shrimp. Visit the Chili Brothers at the Rhythm and Roots Festival in Ninigret Park on Labor Day weekend for some authentic Shrimp Etouffee.

Hook and Reel and Red Crab, both in Warwick, have shrimp with mussels, crayfish, crabs and lobsters in a delicious combination.

Italian restaurants galore use shrimp in many of their meals. My favorite is Shrimp Scampi, and the best I’ve had in RI was at Rigatoni’s on Warwick Avenue in Warwick where, at $15.95, it is less expensive than most high-end restaurants.

Now, if I could only find a pizza place that puts shrimp on its pies!

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