No. You can simply chop it finely (a food processor makes this a snap) and use it in your salad raw. However, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are often easier to digest when cooked. According to Scientific American, cooking cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower causes them to release indole, an organic compound that can fight off precancerous cells. And who doesn't want that! I like to cook the finely chopped cauliflower quickly in a skillet, then cool it before combining it with the remaining salad ingredients.