A simple recipe for chilled yoghurt soup

Enjoy this zingy, cooling, and herbaceous summer as it begins to relax.

The perfect summertime soup: hot, crisp, and icy. This should be served completely chilled. To further cool it, I bring the bowl to the table with ice cubes. Serve in moderation, possibly with some dark, sticky rye bread.

Cucumbers weighing 350g should only have their very tough outer skin peeled. Remove the seeds and pulp from the centre by slicing the fruit in half lengthwise. Using a hand grater or a food processor with the coarsest grater attachment, coarsely shred the flesh.

In a mixing bowl, combine 500ml of natural yoghurt. On low speed, beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in the grated cucumber. One fresh, sweet summer garlic clove should be peeled and grated to a pulp before being added to the yoghurt along with two tablespoons of white-wine tarragon vinegar. Add 1 gherkin or 3 cornichons, which have been finely chopped, to the soup along with 1 tbsp of chopped mint, dill, and parsley. Lastly, season with salt and pepper. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill completely. Bring them to the table together with ice cubes, parsley, dill, and, if available, thyme or dill flowers. It accommodates 3–4 people.

A mild chilli that has been coarsely chopped is a welcome addition.

Before serving, add a little bit of white crab flesh or a few cooked, peeled prawns to the top of each bowl.

Make some crab cakes to accompany your soup. (The smoky fishcakes are a wonderful counterpoint to the cool soup.) 200g of mixed white and brown crabmeat, 125g of fresh breadcrumbs, 1 beaten egg, 2 chopped small hot chillies, a small handful of chopped coriander, and 3 tablespoons of flour should be combined, and the mixture should be formed into 8 small cakes. After allowing to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, cook until brown, rotating once, in a small amount of oil in a nonstick pan. Offer them beside the soup.