Fried clam strips are made from the firm foot of the hard shelled sea clam.
Clam strips in the 1930s by a Ipswich entrepreneur who had made an incredibly clever deal with HoJo's, where people far from flats were turned on to fried clams.
In some places soft shelled clams may be used for making clam strips but most times hard shelled clams are used for fried clam strips.
Basically the fried clam strips are the feet of the clams and are made from the clams known as Manninose, piss clam, long-neck clam, steamer, fried clam, Ipswich clam, and belly clams.