Food MonthDinner Dash

A dish that inspired me: Creamy Coconut and Lime Salmon

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

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

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
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

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