A dish that inspired me: Creamy Coconut and Lime Salmon

Sam McArdle perfected this dish when he turned to cooking during lockdown

Sam McArdle

Tue Nov 21 2023 - 06:00

This is my go-to dish when I haven’t the energy or head space to cook, but I want something in 15 minutes that’s quick and tasty. I love it also because it’s a dish I perfected when I turned to cooking during lockdown. I had just quit acting, I was in my 30s living in my parent’s spare room, with no real purpose in life. I started making food in their kitchen, filmed it and shared it on Instagram. I needed a routine and cooking was it. It kept me sane. As my cooking skills began to improve so did my confidence and I started writing. I wanted to write a story about anxiety and the sense of unrequited dreams we can all feel sometimes.

Sam McArdle perfected this dish when he turned to cooking during lockdown

In my 20′s I was a male nanny in posh West London working for single mums so I used that for inspiration and the result is my one-man black comedy play ‘The Manny’. I ended up quitting my 9-5 job and moving back to London, to give acting another shot. I had been there four years previously, rudderless and beaten down, but I wanted to prove to myself I was still creative, and that I could do it. Since then we’ve sold out The King’s Head Theatre, written and pitched a TV pilot, and now I’m bringing the show back to Dublin’s Smock Alley. So I guess I have a lot to thank this dish for. I hope you enjoy it.

Recipe: Creamy coconut and lime salmon

Sam McArdle is an actor and writer. His one-man black comedy The Manny was at The Smock Alley Theatre earlier this month. Follow Sam on Instagram