Cooking Whole Catfish

Fry catfish fillets. Keep them whole or cut up?
I'll fry some catfish fillets for the first time this weekend. I wanted to see if the fillets are best if left "everything", or whether they are best cut into smaller pieces. Part of me says it looks nothing better a big ol 'catfish fillet on a plate full with a bit of Hush-puppies and coleslaw. But the other part of me says that if the fillets are cut into smaller pieces, then there will be more "surface area" available for that wonderful crisp crust. Btw … I'm going to cook real steak, no catfish nuggets (which are the belly flap, as I have understood) .. Thanks!
I've always left everything
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