6. Almost Anything With Fresh Tomatoes

Let’s address the obvious, right up front: caprese salads don’t exactly scream “summer food” as much as some of these other items. But consider that tomatoes—the quarterback of the caprese— are irrefutably better in the summer than any other time of year. A tomato in any other season, almost isn’t even a tomato at all. Even the basic BLT can vault to the ranks of summer food supremacy by leaning on this in-season fruit. And the caprese—which is the best summer salad, even besting the summer salad—is made that much better with a summertime tomato. It’s refreshing. It’s light. And with a light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, it becomes the best summertime trifecta this side of the Sharknado trilogy (I personally think any installment after #3 to be non-canon).

7. Clam Bakes

The first of two seafood entries on this list, the clambake is more than just a dish, it’s a food-based activity. It brings the people together. And nothing screams warm weather camaraderie like a bunch of people hovering over a steaming plate of crustaceans. For the woefully uninformed, a clam bake is a New England-centric tradition of steaming various seafood (think lobster, crab, mussels, clams… basically anything with a shell and no face) over seaweed. You place all this in a pot. Then, you rejoice. It’s a concentrated dose of summer in one belt-busting sitting.

8. Corn (specifically, on the cob)

Growing up in New Jersey, sweet corn was a summertime staple on the same plane as not going to school and hitting your brother in the face with with a pool noodle. But objectively, it just seems that corn is fit for summer, especially whilst still attached to the cob. Can you even imagine someone in the wintertime, digging into a full ear of corn? It’s a little bit messy. Honestly, it’s kind of goofy. And you need to work a little bit harder to really get the most out of it. It’s kind of an egregious thing to eat, really. Frankly, the summer is the only time something like this could even be remotely acceptable.

9. Assorted Melons

Melons are often the most maligned of all fruit, dismissed as filler who’s only existential duty is to provide foils for flashier fruits like berries, bananas, and even the normally humble grape. But, if there’s any time to embrace the beauty and majesty of the cantaloupes and honeydews of the world, it’s certainly when the mercury rises to the top of the thermometer. A cool melon on a hot day. It’s a good thing. Don’t be a snob.