Ginger Beer Escovitch

Recipe by Maya Feller

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

144

kcal

Escovitch is a traditional Jamaican dish that is enjoyed throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean. It is one of my personal favorites. The dish is a marrying of Mediterranean, Latin American and Caribbean cultures. You can use any fish of your choice, I chose whole Bronzino for the recipe. Rather than pickling the veggies in vinegar, I used Reeds Strongest Ginger Beer as the base of the marinade.

This recipe is a good source of fiber coming from the vegetables and a good source of heart healthy fats and protein coming from the fish.

Ingredients

• 2 Bronzino whole and cleaned

• 2 scallions

• 6 sprigs of thyme

• 2 fresh limes

• For the Sauce

• 1 cup of Reed’s Zero Sugar Ginger Beer

• 1 clove of garlic thinly sliced

• 1 large Vidalia onions thinly sliced

• 1 medium carrot cut into matchsticks

• ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced

• ½ orange bell pepper thinly sliced

• ½ green pepper thinly sliced

• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

Instructions

• Preheat the broiler
• Prepare the fish by rinsing them in cold water. Gently pat them dry. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime all over one fish and repeat for the second fish. Fill the cavity of each fish with 3 sprigs of fresh thyme. Place fish into a large cast iron pan and broil for 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Meanwhile in a large sauce pan add the ginger beer, garlic, onions, carrots and peppers. Cook uncovered for 7-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
• Cover each fish with a generous helping of the Reeds Zero Sugar Ginger Beer vegetables and serve while warm.

See our recipe for Ginger Beer Lemon Spritz for a refreshing summer cocktail that can bring great health benefits too!

Why Reed’s?

The answer is simple.  Reed’s Ginger Beers are made with real ginger, and lots of it. That may seem evident but it’s not the case for every product currently on the market saying they contain real ginger. Reed’s Ginger Beer is all-natural and uses a simple recipe with real ingredients that are both recognizable and easy to pronounce; fresh ginger root, sparkling water, pineapple juice, lemon and lime juice, honey, cane sugar and spices. Nothing less, nothing more.

When I make a choice to have a beverage other than water, I’m sure to read the label and always gravitate toward products with wholesome ingredients. If I could characterize my relationship to food I would say that I love food, specifically ones that are full of flavor. I enjoy Reed’s Ginger Beer because I can taste the real ginger and find it to be delicious. In fact, I’m partial to the Reed’s Strongest Ginger Beer that has thousands of milligrams of fresh organic ginger from Peru. Although my family roots are in Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti, I grew up traveling to Jamaica regularly. Reed’s Ginger Beer uses a traditional Jamaican recipe, and, in my opinion, they have hit the mark. I enjoy having it straight up as a stimulating yet refreshing beverage.  Not only does a lot of real ginger taste great, but it also has enough ginger so that you reap the functional benefits that ginger provides!

What Can Real Ginger Do For You?

Ginger is a food (some even call it a superfood) that has been used in traditional and alternative medicines for centuries and is well-respected as an all-natural plant-based remedy that can be used for several health concerns. Most commonly, ginger is known as a natural home remedy that soothes upset stomachs and nausea. Anecdotally, in clinical settings, it is recommended and may be given to expectant mothers who are experiencing pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting as well as people who experience drug-induced nausea and vomiting. There is also some very compelling research looking at using ginger to reduce inflammation given its anti-oxidant properties. What can real ginger do for you and why should you even consider using real ginger?

Understanding the components of real ginger

• Ginger is a flowering plant that is part of the Zingiberaceae family
• The rhizome, or ginger root, is the most widely used part of the plant
• Ginger is commonly consumed fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, juiced, powdered or in oil form

Benefits

Digestion

Ginger contains compounds that help stimulate digestion by accelerating the movement of liquids and foods through the digestive tract. This activity can help to relieve gas, bloating and nausea.

Inflammation

The bioactive compounds in ginger, specifically gingerol, may reduce oxidative stress and can express pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.

In a study looking at the chemical interactions that are specific to the anti-inflammatory properties of gingerol, researchers saw that there are signaling pathways where gingerol inhibited the making of inflammatory cytokines.

A small randomized double blind clinical trial was conducted where researchers looked at the differences and similarities when using ginger powder and ibuprofen after surgery for pain management. They found that ginger powder was just as effective as ibuprofen after oral surgery ¹.

There is also some data suggesting that ginger may speed the process of recovery after exercise due to its anti-inflammatory properties².

Immunity

The functional components of ginger express antioxidant potential resulting in improved health outcomes specifically for inflammatory diseases. Because ginger has the potential to reduce oxidation, it can help to modulate immune responses.

Further research is needed but there are some favorable preliminary outcomes examining ginger supplementation and its effects on lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure³.

In an animal study researchers looked at enhanced glucose uptake in relationship to supplementing with ginger powder⁴. More research is needed as some studies saw reduced blood glucose levels where others findings were inconsistent. Needless to say, this is promising for patients interested in investigating complementary supplementation.

In addition, components of ginger may have the ability to move cholesterol out of cells⁵. An animal study found that ginger oils had a cholesterol lowering effect⁶.

There is so much promising research happening around ginger and improved immunity. The bottom line is that ginger has so many beneficial health benefits and can be incorporated into your daily nutrition routine. Reed’s is a simple and delicious way to do just that and now with their new all-natural zero sugar line, people can also get thousands of milligrams of fresh ginger without added sugar.

Reed’s Ginger Beer Recipes

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26200194
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5356382/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30972845
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28106738
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29802792
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5471466/