Watermelon, raw

Watermelon is eaten fresh and chilled, cubed into fruit salads, blended into agua fresca or a simple granita, or grilled and paired with feta and mint for a sweet-savory contrast. Its high water content makes the flesh especially crisp and juicy, and that same juiciness makes it a natural match for salty foods like feta cheese, prosciutto or a pinch of flaky salt, which sharpen its sweetness. It's also a popular base for summer drinks and can be juiced on its own or blended with lime and mint, and the rind itself is sometimes pickled or stir-fried in cuisines that use the whole fruit.

Choose a melon that feels heavy for its size and has a creamy yellow field spot where it rested on the ground; once cut, keep watermelon refrigerated and covered, since exposed flesh dries out and picks up other odors in the fridge within a few days. At just 30 calories per 100 g and only 1 mg sodium, with 0.61 g protein and 0.4 g fiber, it's a low-calorie way to add volume and hydration to a summer plate, with its 7.55 g carbohydrate per 100 g coming almost entirely from natural sugar (6.2 g) rather than starch.