This food holiday on July 2 celebrates breaded and deep-fried clams, a crispy and flavorful dish.

Fried clams are especially popular in New England, where seaside clam shacks or roadside restaurants feature these delectable nuggets on their menus.

Made from clam “strips" (sliced hard-shell clams) or whole soft-shell clams, fried clams are usually dipped in milk and coated with flour, then fried in oil.

July 3 in 1916 was the day Lawrence Henry "Chubby" Woodman and his wife Bessie started selling fried clams at a concession stand in Essex, Massachusetts. Six generations later, clams are still frying at Woodman's family restaurant.

Fried Breaded Clam Strips