1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
3 tablespoon whole wheat flour (or 1 tablespoonarrowroot for a grain-free/Paleo option)
1 1/2cupschicken stock
1 1/2cupscream (or 1 cup canned coconut milk for a Paleo option)
1 teaspoon paprika
2-3 dashes cayenne pepper
1/2cupgreen onions
Instructions
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a large pot over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion, pepper, and celery. Sauté until vegetables are softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water and the crawfish tails. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, until crawfish is cooked through.
While crawfish is cooking, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in mushrooms, remaining 3 tablespoons garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms have released their moisture, about 5-7 minutes. Add flour (or arrowroot) while continuously stirring and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in stock and cream and simmer until sauce is thick and reduced, about 12 minutes.
Add creamed mushrooms to crawfish. Add paprika and cayenne pepper and stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve étouffée over a bed of brown rice (or omit for grain-free) and garnish with green onions.