Handfuls of fresh, buttered lobster meat are folded into a butter-flavored ice cream base at Ben & Bill’s in Bar Harbor, Maine. It has been serving this novelty since 1988, handing out the savory samples to skeptical tourists seeking a more adventurous dessert alternative to lobster rolls.

Who needs dressing when you can get a quenelle of onion ice cream with your arugula salad? At Cancún’s Le Basilic in Mexico, the sweet, creamy ice cream melts into peppery arugula and tart tomato confit for a fresh start to a fine-dining meal.

Order the ice cream sampler “gastronomika” at Bilbao’s Heladería Nossi-Bé for savory gourmet flavors including squid in its own ink, cod pil pil and kalimotxo, which is red wine with cola. There are actually bits of squid and fish in the ice cream, and it’s certainly interesting for a couple of bites. We prefer the Idiazabal sheep’s milk cheese ice cream with walnuts and quince paste, like eating an entire cheese plate tossed into a blender.