[Sca-cooks] alec sauce

[Sandra J. Kisner]

There's an interesting post (and query) at The Old Foodie today <http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2012/08/alecsize-that-fish.html> about alec sauce.  Does anybody here know anything about it?

An extract from the post:

Still wishing to pursue the notion of `alec sauce', I think I came a step closer with a definition frm
A new English dictionary on historical principles : founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological Society (1888)

Halec, Halecize, var. ALEC, ALECIZE.
Halecoid, a. and sb. Ichth. [f. mod.L. Halecoides, f. halec, alec, sauce prepared  from small fish, and perh. the fish itself:.]
a. adj. Of or belonging to the herring family,
b. sb. A clupeoid fish.

Other sources suggest it was a `form of garum' or `thickened form of garum.' Oddly, perhaps, I have been unable to find any recipes for `alec sauce' - although this may well be due to my poor linguist skills. Maybe one of you with knowledge of Latin, or ancient cookery, can help?

Sandra