Say the word “soup” to a Mainer and eight times out of 10, it conjures up chowder (specifically) and, (more generally) bone-chilling winters, sniffles and the flu, alleviated, naturally, by piping hot, comforting bowls of soup.

But soup has another side entirely, which we’d like to celebrate here as summer draws near. Chilled soup can be a cooling antidote to the hot days ahead. And with a greater number of climate-change-driven sweltering days in our future, good chilled soups are a valuable addition to your seasonal repertoire.

Start with these three recipes from Maine cooks and cookbooks:

CUCUMBER, WALNUT AND YOGURT SOUP

The recipe comes from Annie Mahle’s “The Tiny Kitchen Cookbook: Strategies and Recipes for Creating Amazing Meals in Small Places.” If anyone would know how to strategize for a small kitchen, it’d be Mahle, who cooked meals for guests in the galley of the Rockland-based J&E Riggin windjammer for more than 20 years. The soup is light, fresh and lovely, perfect for a warm summer evening.

The recipe is very flexible. When I made it, I added fresh parsley leaves along with the other herbs because I happened to have them around. For a double batch, I also threw in 1 minced garlic clove and half a ripe avocado. Note: Mahle’s recipe serves just 2 so double it for a more standard yield.

Serves 2

2 cups peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup low-fat or whole-milk plain yogurt
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon good-quality extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons minced scallions or chives, plus extra for garnish
Salt to taste
Dash of Tabasco or Cholula sauce

Combine all the ingredients but the hot sauce in a blender and blend well. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

Serve chilled, garnished with mint, dill, scallions or chives and a drizzle of olive oil. Put the hot sauce on the table, for eaters to add as much or as little as they like.

CHILLED GREEN CURRY AND ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH LOBSTER

This recipe comes from Chef Sav Sengsavang of Le Mu Eats in Bethel, by way of the “Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook” by Karl Schatz and Margaret Hathaway. The soup is “completely delicious — lovely and lighter than I expected,” Hathaway said.

Remember to start well ahead, as the soup needs to chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours. Also, have lots of ice handy when you make it, as you’ll need the ice to quickly cool down the asparagus tips and lobster. The recipe seems labor-intensive but it really isn’t, Hathaway said, adding that “the garnish of lobster and blanched asparagus tips feels fancy, but isn’t hard to make.”

Serves 4-5

8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 ounce ginger root, peeled and chopped (roughly 1 generous inch ginger root)
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 scallions
1 stalk lemon grass, chopped
2 Thai lime leaves (also known as Makrut lime leaves)
1 quart water
1 (1-pound) live lobster
2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 8 to 10 asparagus tips reserved for garnish
3 tablespoons sugar
4 ounces green curry paste
2 cups coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 radish, thinly sliced, for garnish

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, ginger, celery, garlic, scallions, lemon grass and lime leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients become translucent. Add the water, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.

Place the lobster in the boiling broth and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. While the lobster is cooking, add cold water and ice to a generous medium-sized bowl. When the lobster is cooked, add it to the ice bath to cool down. Lower the heat under the pot of spiced water.

When the lobster is cold, remove it from the ice bath and break it down, removing the claw and tail meat and refrigerating the meat. Return the shell to the pot on the stove and simmer for 15 more minutes. This will make a nice lobster stock. Once the stock has finished cooking, let it cool slightly, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Set the stock aside.

In a large pot, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the green curry paste and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to bring out its taste. Add the asparagus stalks to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is bright green and tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to stir. Add the coconut milk and simmer another 10 to 12 minutes.

Puree the soup. If you’d like it even smoother, push through a fine-mesh sieve. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remembering that cold soups need to be well-seasoned. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

When you are ready to serve the soup, quickly blanch the asparagus tips in boiling water, then immediately cool them in cold, iced water. Cut the reserved lobster meat into chunks and divvy it up among 4 to 5 bowls. Add the chilled soup to the bowls. Garnish with the asparagus tips and radish slices.

WHITE GAZPACHO

This recipe comes from Portland resident Vanessa Seder‘s “Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days.” It is gluten-free and dairy-free, and, according to Seder, “a perfect blend of the savory, the sweet, the tangy and the creamy.”

Serves 4

1/2 cup Marcona almonds
1 clove garlic, smashed with the side of a chef’s knife and peeled
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 (12-ounce) seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (about 2¼ cups)
1 medium fennel bulb (about 8 ounces), trimmed and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 sweet apple, such as Gala, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 ounces green grapes (about 1/2 cup), plus more, sliced, for serving
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fennel fonds for serving

Place the almonds, garlic and thyme in a high-powered blender or food processor and blend until very finely chopped, about 1 minute.

Add the cucumber, fennel bulb, apple, grapes, vinegar, vegetable broth and olive oil and blend on high speed until very smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the soup into 4 bowls and garnish with sliced grapes, fennel fronds and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.