Years ago I lived in Tulsa. They had a seafood market/restaurant there that made the absolute best gumbo I've had anywhere and I've eaten gumbo all up and down the gulf coast. Before I left, my wife and I mentioned to the waitress that we were really going to miss their gumbo. The waitress told us they sell the exact same spices they use in the restaurant. So I bought some, followed the directions, and sure enough it turned out exactly the same. I've been mail ordering it from them ever since.
Naturally the key to making any gumbo is the roux, which isn't that hard but takes a bit of time and patience. Just make sure the burner isn't turned up too high and keep stirring constantly till you get a milk chocolate color or darker. As long as you can get that part down and follow directions, you can make a great gumbo with this stuff. I make some and bring it to work occassionally and everyone bugs me to bring it in again. There's never any left overs.
If you want to give it a try, just call them up and tell them you want to order some of their gumbo spices. The recipe is on the bottle. They will take your credit card over the phone and mail it to you.
http://www.whiteriverfishmarket.com/default.aspx
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