I love summertime. Even more than that, I love summer food.

One of the best days in summer is when local corn starts to appear in the farmers markets. Heavy, sweet, juicy corn picked not more than a few miles from home. I've been enjoying lots of it this summer and the best corn is still to come.

The way most people eat it - including me, most of my life - is to slather the cobs with a big stick of butter. That's fine, but too much butter-slathered corn and, well, we all know where this is headed.

My solution for corn-on-the-cob fans is my barbecue Mexican corn. I'll concede that fresh corn tastes great on its own. But sometimes I like to spice it up a bit.

This easy-to-make side dish offers big flavor without giving you a big gut. Note to ladies: This is something your man can do on the grill - besides just char some steak, burgers, hot dogs or some other mouthwatering chunks of meat, that is. You'll keep the husks on too. That's important, because real men grill corn with the husks left intact.

This recipe uses cotija cheese, known as the "Parmesan of Mexico." If you're unfamiliar with it, cotija cheese is a strongly flavored, crumbly cheese that is used like Parmesan is in Italian cooking.

If you can't find cotija in your supermarket, try using Parmigiano-Reggiano or feta. Don't worry about any calories from mayonnaise either. I use the low-fat version, and it tastes absurdly fabulous as a part of the grill "sauce."

This recipe makes a welcome, tasty addition to anything else you do on the grill - spareribs, chicken, steak or burgers, or as an accompaniment to quesadillas, tostadas, fajitas, tacos or burritos. So dig in. Delicious! And you can eat this corn anyway you prefer. Typewriter style, around in a circle, munched in the middle, with little corn holders or grasped with your hands.

So hit the store for an armful of fresh corn on the cob, and get grilling. You'll have a healthy side dish at only 158 calories a serving with 6 grams of fat. Compare that to traditional corn slathered with butter, which has 265 calories per serving and 17 grams of fat.

Just stay away from the s'mores, apple pie and strawberry shortcake, and you might actually emerge from summer a bit slimmer.

Recipe tips:

• Buy and eat corn on the same day. The older the corn gets the starchier it will become.

• Try to not to refrigerate fresh corn. Like tomatoes, when corn is chilled it loses some of its sparkle.

• If you prefer to boil corn instead of steaming it in the husk on the grill like I suggest, try this: cut the top of the ear off with a sharp knife about 1 to 2 inches below where the silk appears. Next peel down the husk one section at a time and carefully tug the silk along with the husk. Continue until you are all the way around the cob. This is the best way to remove the silk.

• If you are in polite company or just got your new false teeth, you always can shave the kernels off the cob (after they have been seasoned) with a sharp knife. Simply make sure the top and bottom of the ear have been cut flat, then hold the corn vertically on a cutting board and run the knife down the ear about 1/2 inch into the cob removing just the kernels. If you get into rough territory and the knife just won't go through the kernels, that means your knife is too far into the cob and all you have to do is start again with the blade closer to the kernels.

• Always use fresh lime with this dish. The additional acidity makes this go from a good dish to a sublime taste experience that will change your life forever.

Rocco DiSpirito is author of the "Now Eat This!" and "Now Eat This! Diet" cookbooks.

Barbecue Mexican corn

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1 teaspoon barbecue spice rub (use your favorite)

4 ears local corn, in their husks

Butter-flavored cooking spray

1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) cotija cheese, grated

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Heat a grill or grill pan to high.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and barbecue spice rub. Set aside.

Place the corn, in their husks, on the grill or pan and allow to steam cook for about 5 minutes per side.

Peel back some husk and check for tenderness. When corn is tender, remove from the heat but leave the grill on or the pan over the heat. Cut 1 inch off the top of the cobs. Grasp the husk, along with the silk, and peel the husks off the cob like a banana. Continue peeling back the husks around the rest of the cob. Peeling them back together in this way creates a handle for holding the cob.

Spray the corn with cooking spray and place on the hot grill or pan. Grill until the kernels begin to develop grill marks and become charred, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the cobs occasionally.

Using a pastry brush, brush the mayonnaise mixture onto each cob. Sprinkle the cheese and cilantro over the cobs. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 158 calories; 6 g fat (3 g saturated); 12 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 367 mg sodium.