Years ago, I remember grimacing in distaste when a friend, who grew up in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, told me he sprinkles salt on his watermelon before he eats it. Now this friend isn't necessarily known for his culinary prowess (on another occasion he shared with me that his family used to fry leftover Krispy Kreme donuts in butter and serve them with ice cream), but he might have been ahead of his time when it comes to the salty watermelon.

It turns out that in my newly adopted hometown of Atlanta, as well as other locales south of the Mason-Dixon line-salting watermelon is de rigueur. What's more, in hip restaurants here, watermelon is fast becoming a hot ingredient—twice this week I've encountered watermelon making unexpected appearances on menus. In both instances, this humble low-country fruit has shared the spotlight with haute ingredients—not on the dessert menu, but in more savory preparations. At The Globe which was recently named Restaurant of the Year by Atlanta Magazine, an appetizer special combined watermelon with pumpkinseed oil, pumpkin seeds, micro-basil and a sprinkling of sea salt. And, at Seegers, Atlanta's only Mobil 5-star restaurant, which is scheduled to close later this month, chef Guenter Seeger prepared an amuse-bouche of a cool mussel veloute poured over Pernod-soaked balls of watermelon.

In both cases, the sweetness of the watermelon was the perfect counterpart for more savory flavors, and the briny veloute at Seegers, as well as the sea salt at The Globe, created a welcome foil for the succulence of the watermelon.

Whichever way you enjoy it, you'll also be happy to know that watermelon is not only refreshing, but it's good for you! It contains the highest concentration of lycopene of any fruit or vegetable—two cups of watermelon has about 18.16 mg lycopene, compared to 4 mg in a medium-sized tomato. Lycopene, an antioxidant plant pigment, can help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. Watermelon also contains fiber protein, potassium iron and Vitamin B6, and has 20 percent of the recommended daily requirement of Vitamin A, as well as 25 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin C.

However, you might have recently seen the news on Lime that chilled watermelon, however refreshing, isn't quite as nutritious as when it's stored at room temperature.

August is peak watermelon season (as well as National Watermelon Month). When shopping, watch for a firm watermelon that seems heavy for its size (after all, it's 92 percent water). Look for a fruit that is symmetrical and doesn't have a lot of bruises or dents on its rind. The underside of the watermelon should have a yellow spot from ripening on the ground.

While nothing celebrates the end of summer more than sitting on the porch eating wedges of watermelon, take our advice and try incorporating watermelon into savory salads and dishes, such as this Mediterranean Watermelon Salad.